


aeternum vale

by Hamartia97



Series: because we are supernovas [1]
Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Don't kill me please, M/M, emperorwink are brothers, everyone is hurting, hints of 2park, hints of panwink, i didn't mean to kill minhyun ohmygod, my first ever au, nielwink, what the hell is this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2018-11-29 00:20:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 46,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11429280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hamartia97/pseuds/Hamartia97
Summary: “Jihoon,” the way he calls him is aloof, but Jihoon can hear the guilt loud in his ears and it makes him uneasy. “There’s something that we didn’t tell you.”Gulping down the fear, Jihoon forces himself to not look away. “What is it?”“Kang Daniel is back—”Jihoon feels his blood run cold.“—and he’s looking for you.”





	1. hence these tears and sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And just like a mirage, Jihoon feels Daniel’s lips touch him for a fleeting second before he disappears. He’s leaving him again, just like that gruesome night ten years ago. Jihoon feels his heart ruptures beneath his skin, the gaping wound bleeding the words he supposed to say but unable in the end.
> 
> A lone tear falls from his eye.
> 
> Yours, huh?
> 
> “Ah,” Jihoon pulls his feet against his chest and sinks his face between the valley of his knees. “You’re really cruel, Daniel-hyung.”

A violent hum of screeching iron against raw flesh echoes between the dimly lighted underground. It lasts for a long, long time; before everything stops. Then suddenly, there is no sound, except screams and screams and _more_ screams.

 

(The man in red smiles and swings his sword again.)

 

Blood is hazy and vivid on his deathlike skin, smothering purple and blue among the darkness. The smell of rot and destruction is thick in his nose, almost solid, and yet he ignores it. Once more, the man raises his bloodstained silver with him and brings another down in one sweep of motion. The sickening crunch of bones breaking is like a death march, before it’s all screams and more screams again.

 

 _P-Please don't kill me,_ they beg _._

 

He spits the blood from his chapped lips and begins to hunt again.

 

 _P-Please spare my life,_ they beg _._                                                                

                                                     

“My Lo—" Daniel stops when he catches a shadow from the corner of his eyes. He cocks his head slowly at him, and the hooded man pauses at the threshold when he realizes his mistake. "P-Please forgive my impudence, my Lord." he smiles stiffly. "Everyone is already waiting for you outside.”

 

"Of course," he smirks, silvery blonde hair falling into his gleaming eyes. "When could I meet them?" he asks, sweetly.

 

"As fast as possible, of course." The hooded man says pleasantly, clapping his hands. "Now, excuse me, I think they need my assistance. Good day, my Lord."

 

With that uttered, the man secedes himself, closing the door behind him shut with a loud thud.

 

Then, there is a clatter on the floor, and second later a bloodcurdling scream pierces the tense air. He picks up his weapon from yet another mass of dust littering beneath him, flicking the vaporizing blood off its tainted surface. He stills for a moment before a smirk stretches wide on his face. Showing his sharp canines, he raises his sword up, the bloodied metal glinting menacingly above his head.

 

"Just wait for me, Jihoon-ah," he whispers, looking down at his fisted hand. Inside his palm, a lone magnolia lies crumpled between his fingers, its petals wither onto the floor beneath him in a swirl of white and red. He opens his boned fingers one by one, and the flower falls with a resounding thud.

 

"I'm going to make them suffer." he hisses. “Just like they did to us.”

 

* * *

—[ **a e t e r n u m   v a l e** ]—

                                                             }{                                                               

{ we do not **fear** death, but we **thought** of death, }  
_remember that i was what you are, and you will be what i am._

 _because we are supernovas; 01_  
「kang  **daniel/** park  **jihoon** ; vampire  **au** 」

 }{

* * *

c h a p t e r   o n e  
「 _hence this tears and sorrow_ 」

* * *

}{

 

It’s been two months since he left Seoul for a mission, and the association is still as busy as ever.

 

Jihoon watches as people swarm the spacious hall, talking and bickering with each other with a smile on each face and he feels like drowning in the customary lifestyle around him. He had spent a few good hours inside Jonghyun's office, reporting about his latest kill in detail and the man had looked at him for two straight minutes while muttering _why_ and _I'm too old for this_ under his breath.

 

Unsurprisingly, Jihoon is banned from any mission until he’s fully healed, and it means that the entire team wouldn't get a mission for an extended period of time. So in those long weeks of hectic days, they use the opportunity to train themselves off and perhaps wandering about the town, just fooling around, really. After everything they have been through, the normal everyday life is precisely what they needed to recover.

 

It’s relieving to see nothing changes in two months he has been gone, except for a few things like the mess hall location or the breakfast menus and such. Jihoon can't help but wonder though if there’s another thing he had missed when he was away.

 

"Nah, it's the same, y'know." Woojin says when they spend the afternoon training at the combat grounds. "Just a few changes here and there, but overall nothing has changed."

 

"Is that so?" Jihoon mutters as he blocks another of Woojin’s mean strike with his own. "I’ve been gone for two months, right? You sure nothing has changed? No new recruits or plan to bring down another rogue vampire’s lair?"

 

"Could you stop thinking about killi—" he pauses to stoop down, evading the strike aimed at his head. "Hey, that was close you idiot," he says as he brings his massive swords closer. "Should've watched your aim better."

 

"I _was_ aiming for your stupid head." Jihoon chucks a stone at the maroon haired boy, but he easily evades it. "I'm sorry though…" his tone begins to waver as memories of the past days flare up within himself.

 

"For what?" Woojin stops his attacks when he sees Jihoon drops his fighting stance, his face pinched with remorse. "You idiot, we have been through this, haven't we?" he clicks his tongue in annoyance. "Just how many times I have to say that we’re not mad at you?"

 

"Lots of time." Jihoon sends him a crooked smile, "Just making sure you haven't changed your mind."

 

Woojin can only stare at the oddball in front of him, thinking about how annoying he could sometimes be. "You're really an idiot, aren't you?"

 

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean, huh?" come Jihoon’s biting reply, but it’s not discerning, but rather fond of him. “Remember that I’m still older than you, brat.”

 

“Whatever.” Woojin shrugs carelessly, but suddenly his posture changes. Jihoon’s smile withers when he feels guilt weaving itself between his teammate’s even breaths. “Hey, you know that you’re not alone, right?”

 

Jihoon frowns at the change in topic, his heart heavy when he sees the way Woojin avoids any form of eye contact with him. So instead, he chooses to look ahead into the distance. “Yeah, I know.” Jihoon licks his bottom lip. “But why are you asking me that?”

 

“Jihoon,” the way he calls him is aloof, but Jihoon can hear the guilt loud in his ears, and it makes him uneasy. “There’s something that we didn’t tell you.”

 

The older male stills then turns his head in time to catch Woojin’s eyes on him. There is something inside those eyes; something he can’t put his finger on. Whatever it means, whatever he’s trying to say, Jihoon decides that he would never like it.

 

Gulping down the fear, Jihoon forces himself to not look away. “What is it?”

 

Woojin _is_ still looking at him, but he doesn’t know if he’s _really_ looking at him or something beyond him.

 

“Kang Daniel is back—”

 

Jihoon feels his blood run cold.

 

“—and he’s looking for _you_.”

 

They lapse into silence, no one is talking, no one is moving, and Jihoon feels something ugly forming in the pit of his stomach. He lets out a shaky breath. To think that he’s back after all this time, what should he do now?

 

_Why he has to come back now, of all times?_

 

**_Tap_ **

 

Jihoon blinks when something cold suddenly touches his nose.

 

“Ah,” Jihoon looks up, smiling bitterly when he sees snowflakes begin to rain across the horizon. It reminds him of that night from ten years ago. “It’s almost Christmas.”

 

“Hey,” with a small voice, Woojin tries to catch his attention again. “Are you okay?”

 

Silence, and then;

 

“Yeah,” Jihoon smiles, but his heart feels like crying. “I’ll be okay.”

 

After the snow stops three hours and two minutes later, Jihoon doesn’t talk for the rest of the day.

 

* * *

_we_ _are dust and shadow,  
born from the cursed womb._

* * *

}{

 

It’s finally Christmas.

 

(A day of joy, of happiness, of warmth. Of everything good and bright. A happy day, perhaps. They said that heart grows tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, but all he can remember is the dark corner of his void room, sitting in deafening silence, talking to the shadows on the wall.)

 

All he can remember is neglect; of having to live in solitude, of childhood left behind. All he can remember is his late brother’s melancholy smile and the rushing sound of blood pooling beneath his feet, and it makes him sick in the stomach. It makes him want to shove all the memories down the drain in the hope that he will never see them again.

 

(A wretched feeling, he knows. But he longs for another; not his, because his is something he wants to forget.)

 

Jihoon presses his freezing palms together, blinking out the drowsiness from his eyes, and only then he realizes the crossroad is white with blanket of snow. His feet trail over the icy pavement, trying not to slip and hurt himself in the process, but his mind is elsewhere.

 

Today, he is running again.

 

He is running away from everything. From the Christmas celebration, from his responsibility, from his teammates, from his unforgettable past—

 

(And from him; he is running away from Kang Daniel.)

 

He is slipping away, and no one can pull him out and save him. He thinks it’s too late for that. Not after all these years.

 

The snowflake touches his face in soft thud.

 

Jihoon closes his eyes and dreams.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

Jihoon can still smell the chocolates and pines in the air, taste the warmth across his stone-cold tongue, and yet his heart remains dead.

 

It’s been hours since he left. A long, tedious hours of walking in among the darkness and silvery moonlight. He's sure that they must be searching for him right now. They must be worried, but he wrote a note. He hopes that they would understand. He hopes.

 

(He wants to be alone for today. Just for today.)

 

“Hyung.”

 

_Ah-ah._

 

Jihoon cranes his neck backward and immediately catches his eyes.

 

 _Not today_ , he thinks.

 

It looks like he’s not going to be alone after all. That boy, that stupid boy, is here with him. How he’d found him, Jihoon doesn’t know. But there he is, a meter away from where he’s standing, looking absolutely pathetic yet adorable with his messy hair and crimson cheeks.

 

"Why did you leave?"

 

Jihoon doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the unfairness of it’s all.

 

“Hello to you too, Guanlin-ah.” he begins softly, patting the crystal-like flakes off his coat. “Having a great time wandering, didn’t you?”

 

“Shut up.” The younger hisses and walks towards him, eyes burning with a plethora of emotions he doesn’t know of. “Just answer my question.”

 

He blinks innocently at him. “First you told me to shut up, then you told me to answer. Hey, aren’t you being inconsistent?”

 

There’s no retort, and Jihoon watches Guanlin stop before him, his hands tight into fists, and his eyes—his eyes are glowing bright green.

 

“You left,” he says, quietly.

 

“I did.” Jihoon nods, giving him an impish smile. “And?”

 

“You _left_ , hyung.” he snaps. “You just—you didn’t even—”

 

“I left a note, you know.” he cuts him over, frowning. “I didn’t go disappearing without a word.”

 

“But—” Guanlin pauses, “But it’s not—It’s not…. enough.”

 

Silence washes over them. He is looking at him with this— _this_ look plastered upon his face. A desperate slash helpless kind of look. An angry, frustrated look.

 

(A look like he is going to cry.)

 

Jihoon weaves a sigh and put his tiny arms around him.

 

“There, there.” he pats his head, though it’s kind of difficult remembering their height differences, but this is all he can do right now. “I’m not going to leave you, Guanlin-ah. I was just walking around, nothing bad happened, you hear me? I’m sorry if I made you worry.”

 

(Guanlin doesn’t answer him, but Jihoon thinks it’s okay. Words aren’t necessary for them, and he knows that he understands. Because Jihoon is not sorry for leaving; he is sorry for the painful memories he’d revoked in him.)

 

The older smiles when Guanlin moves closer, his grip tightening around his much smaller build. Hugging him like this makes his body throb with slight pain, but Guanlin is _warm._ Even between this hazard winter, he’s still warm, and Jihoon likes it—the warmth which flutters against his skin through his bones.

 

“You are warm,” Guanlin mutters against his neck, as though to counter his statement. “Too warm.”

 

“Huh?” Jihoon blinks his eyes when they suddenly feel heavy. His head is hurting too, hammering continuously just like his heart. He feels dizzy, and his breath comes in short puffs. “I—I’m fine,” he says, laughing it off. He doesn’t want to make him worry than he already is.

 

Guanlin furrows his eyebrows when he notices his sharp intake of breath. “Hyung, you sure that you’re fine?”

 

“Y-Yes.” Jihoon breathes out. His lungs are failing him, and it’s hard to keep on talking. “I’m okay. It’s just—the cold. I—the cold is…”

 

“Jihoonie-hyung?”

 

The younger breaks their embrace and finally sets his eyes on him. His face is flushed red, his eyes hazy with unshed tears and his eyelids begin to flutter shut.

 

“H-Hyung! You’re not fine at all!” Guanlin yells and steadies him with his body. “Jihoon-hyung! What’s wrong wi—”

 

“I….” His vision is getting blurry as seconds pass. “I’m… Guan… lin-ah..." he curls his small digits against his coat. “I’m sorry….”

 

_“HYUNG—!”_

 

Then suddenly, the world fades into black, and all he can hear is silence.

 

* * *

_from_ _the moment we are born,  
we begin to die._

* * *

}{

 

Woojin lands his eyes on Jihoon’s pale, lithe frame, and thinks that even in deathbed, he still looks beautiful.

 

Jihoon is beautiful, he always has and always been. His exquisite chestnut strands fan around his head like a halo while honeyed light darts through the gap between the curtains into his still form. The specks of gold create a beautiful sight when it bathes him with a luminous gleam, its shade complimenting his porcelain skin and plump red lips. Honestly, he looks like an exquisite painting, alluring in its own way, graceful, but also momentary and frangible.

 

The older looks so fragile like he would break the moment his fingers touch him. Biting his lower lip in anger, Woojin thinks that he hates the wretched picture the most. This isn’t the person that he knows. The Jihoon that he knows loves to giggle quietly behind his palms and talks with that baby voice of his. The Jihoon that he knows loves to annoy him in every chance possible and sticks with him everywhere he goes like a baby chick.

 

(The Jihoon that he knows isn’t like _this_.)

 

Taking a calming breath, Woojin drops himself into a chair beside the bed and laces his fingers with Jihoon; waiting, _hoping_ , that he would open his beautiful eyes and smile at him like usual.

 

_Wake up, please._

 

“Why,” Woojin clenches his teeth. “Why that bastard has to come back now of all times?”

 

“We all know that he would come back for Jihoon sooner or later, Woojin-ah,” Hyeongseob says, patting his shoulders gently. “Even after everything, Jihoon is still Kang Daniel’s recognized mate.”

 

 _No_ , he thinks. _You wouldn’t understand_.

 

“Mate? Hah! You must be kidding me.” he hisses under his breath. “Don’t you see him? He looks like he’s going to drop dead anytime!”

 

“He’s burning up.” Jonghyun murmurs as his hand brushes across Jihoon’s skin for a second. “I knew that it would affect him, but I didn’t think that it would be this bad.”

 

“Can’t we do something?” Samuel says from his place on the floor, frowning. “Anything? We should ask the officials for help. I can’t bear watching him like this.”

 

“Jihoon is not in immediate danger, Muel-ah.” Jonghyun smiles grimly. “He’s just having a hard time because he’s suddenly thrown in the same vicinity with his mate after being separated for a long time. Besides, Guanlin is working on a potion to soothe his fever. Normally his temperature would go down by dawn, but because it’s been two days and there’s no sign of improvement, we need to take drastic measure.”

 

Woojin unconsciously tightens his grip on Jihoon’s hand. “Brewing a potion must take a long time to finish. Isn’t there any other option?” he asks. “Like a suppressant or something? Maybe the blood pills would help? He always ate them regularly.”

 

Minki shakes his head. “The suppressant only masks his natural odor. And even though blood pills can satisfy his thirst, they aren’t as effective as his mate’s blood. Now that Daniel is back in town, Jihoon must be craving his blood to the point that it’s driving him crazy.”

 

“So what should we do?” Jinyoung bites his lower lip. “Jihoonie-hyung looks really bad, hyung.”

 

“There is a way.” Jonghyun drops himself to the chair opposite Woojin and begins to thread his fingers across Jihoon’s soft hair. “But you won’t be happy with it.”

 

“Why wouldn’t we?” Samuel asks, flabbergasted. “The last thing I want is to see Jihoon-hyung like this. I’ll do anything to take his pain away!”

 

Woojin tears his eyes from his bickering teammates to set them on Jihoon again. He is still sleeping soundly, his chest heaving up and down together with his soft breaths. He looks almost peaceful, content, no—that's not the word.

 

Jihoon looks _dead_.

 

Feeling his chest tightens at the thought, Woojin wipes his face roughly. Seeing his state makes him feel helpless, powerless. He wants to see him again, alive and healthy. Samuel is right, they will do anything for him. After what they have been through, there’s no way they would ever let him suffer like this.

 

“Just tell us, hyung.” says Woojin after a minute of silence, “We’ll do it as long as it means that we can help him.”

 

“Well,” Jonghyun sighs, “Just don’t yell at m—”

 

**_BLAM_ **

 

They jump in shock when the door behind them suddenly explodes into pieces, splinters of wood flying in every direction. Even though it’s hard to see with dust blocking their sight, Woojin can make out a human-sized shadow from his peripheral vision, but when it moves, he instantly knows that whatever it is, it can’t be human.

 

 _No human can move that fast_ , he thinks.

 

“ _You_ ,” Woojin hears Jonghyun hiss beside him, and he unconsciously flinches back from his harsh tone. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

 

Pupils blown, Woojin snaps his head around only to let out a deep growl. Of course it’s him. Baring his pointed canines, Woojin forces himself to keep still and settles with glaring heatedly at the smirking man across him.

 

_No, not a man._

 

Kang Daniel, pureblood vampire extraordinaire, is standing on the chaos he caused while staring at them with gleaming crimson eyes.

 

“Give him to me.” he demands with his velvety voice.

 

“ _Vampire_.” Woojin hisses, body shaking in anger. “What are you doing here? Do you have a death wish?”

 

Daniel smirks at him, his eyes flirting between crimson and bright amber before it settles with blood red. “If you forgot, I funded this place, Park Woojin-ssi. This building is mine, and I have the right to step my foot here anytime.”

 

“Bullshit.” This time, it’s Minki’s turn to pin his glare on the blonde-haired vampire. “Get out from here pureblood, you’re making a scene.”

 

Ignoring the hateful glares being thrown his way, Daniel walks forward until he’s only a meter away from their place. “Give him to me.”

 

_This little shit—_

 

“No fucking way!” holler Woojin. “I better off dead than letting you hurt him again you fucker!”

 

“I said,” Daniel repeats calmly, his voice as cold as ice. “Give my mate to me, human.”

 

It’s just a phrase, but its strangely enough to make Woojin stops on his track, his eyes widening into saucers and his shoulders tense. He’s frozen on his toes, his orbs darkening into deep brown and before he can even blink, his body already lurching forward while his mind screaming at him to kill the bastard for once and all.

 

But before he can even reach the vampire, Jonghyun’s voice stops him.

 

“Stay back, Woojin.” Jonghyun puts a hand against his chest, warning him to not take a step forward. “—all of you, stay back.” he turns his head. “Daniel, if I were to give him to you, would you help him?”

 

“Hyung!” protests him. “What are you—”

 

“Shut it, Woojin-ah.” he commands. “Now, answer my question.”

 

“Of course.” The cold fire inside Daniel’s eyes diminishes when his sight falls upon his mate’s unconscious form. “What do you think I came here for?”

 

Jonghyun bristles, schooling his face into that of a sheer blankness. “Fine, you can take him—” he glares, and everyone closes their mouth instantly. “All of you, get out from this room right now.”

 

“Hyu—”

 

“Now.” he hisses. “Don’t make me repeat it twice.”

 

Jonghyun watches them walk away with blank eyes. And when they finally disappear from his sight, silence falls among them. Time seems frozen as their eyes capture each other eyes before Jonghyun breaks the contact to settle Jihoon’s limp body inside his arms.

 

“Kang Daniel, I may look weak compared to you, but I promised Minhyun that I will protect his little brother with my life so mark this;” Jonghyun takes a step forward. “If you dare to hurt him again, I’ll _kill_ you.”

 

Saluting, Daniel shows him a smirk.

 

“Aye, captain.”

 

* * *

_under our mother’s quiet cradle,  
we pray for a brighter future, brighter days._

* * *

}{

 

“Where’s Daniel?”

 

Seongwoo drops his body on the leather couch and rests his arms on his face. They are currently hiding in the castle in the middle of nowhere. The old palace is barren and void like a desert, its walls towers high with squeaky windows open wide as gauzy curtains float mystically when the wind blows against the windowsill. The hallways are long and narrow, and it creates an eerie picture when a sliver of sunlight come filtering inside.

 

Honestly, the place is unnerving. Ordinary people wouldn’t spend their time wasting away in a place like this. But then again, they are no ordinary people, so he guesses it suit them best.

 

“Ya,” Seongwoo groans when something starts to poke his side. “Answer me you asshole.”

 

“I dunno.” The man mumbles against his sleeves. “Maybe he’s out hunting again. Or maybe he’s stalking his mate from afar like he has done lately.”

 

“Stop that.” Jaewhan slaps Seongwoo’s thigh hard. “I can’t even understand what language you’re talking about you moron. So tell me again where is he?”

 

“I don’t know, alright?” now it’s Seongwoo turns to glare at Jaewhan, his blood red eyes gleaming brightly in the darkness. “He’s a fucking menace. I only looked away for a second!” he stresses out. “A _second_ dammit! And puff, he’s gone to god knows where.”

 

“Fine.” Jaehwan sighs. “Then what about Daewhi and Seonho? Where the hell are they?”

 

“The last time I saw them, they’re feeding.” he says. “But I guess they’re out again with those mortals.”

 

“Why those kids—” Jaehwan groans into his palms. “Daniel is going to kill me.”

 

Seongwoo snorts. “He won’t, trust me. He may be the most feared vampire across the nation, but we all know he’s nothing but a softie inside.”

 

“Softie my ass,” snorting, Jaehwan leans into Seongwoo’s taller build to rest his body against him. “Didn’t you see him yesterday? The guy is fucking mad.”

 

“Nah, he’s still sane.” Seongwoo shrugs nonchalantly. “As long as Jihoon is alive, I doubt that he will let himself fall into that abyss.”

 

Silence falls. Only the sound of creaking windowsills and flapping curtains can be heard between them.

 

“Jihoon… huh?” Jaehwan sighs. “I wonder how he is now. Has he grown up yet? The last time we saw him he’s only this tall.” he touches his chest, snorting. “Such a cutie, he was.”

 

“I don’t think so,” Seongwoo snorts at the picture. “He’s taken the pledge, after all.”

 

“Ah,” Jaehwan blinks. “You’re right.”

 

“I miss him.” Seongwoo whispers after a few seconds of silence. “I really want to meet him again.”

 

“But he hates us now.” Jaehwan chuckles. “Maybe someday.”

 

“Yeah.” he closes his eyes. “Maybe someday.”

 

* * *

_and hope that if there is a god somewhere, t  
hey will give them the chance to atone for their sins._

* * *

 }{

 

The sound of ticking clock is resonating in his ears. His world is still a void darkness, his head throbbing like crazy, and something, _something_ is holding his hand.

 

_It’s warm._

 

“Jihoon?” a blurry face enters his field of vision. “Hey, you okay? How do you feel?”

 

Jihoon flickers his eyes again and catches red swirls looming above him. Something cold settles in his chest. Even after all this time, he can’t forget that voice nor that eyes. He doesn’t remember what happened to him and why he’s here with him of all people, but he knows that he’s in big trouble.

 

“Y-You—” Jihoon winces when he sees the familiar face of his mate looking at him. His voice sounds no better than cracking glass. “W-Why I’m here?”

 

“Don’t be like this,” Daniel says, tired lines marring his pale face. “You’re with me, Jihoon. You’re home.”

 

“Home?” Jihoon suddenly has the urge to laugh at him. “What home?”

 

_Why of all people it has to be him?_

 

A quiet chuckle escapes from his mouth. He doesn’t understand anything. His memories are too blurry for him to recall anything, so he hisses instead, shutting his eyes tight until he sees white spots dancing behind his eyelids. He hates the feeling of being near him; it's suffocating, smothering, and burning and—and it hurts, the longing, because it's too real and solid for him to forget anymore.

 

_Why did you come back?_

 

Jihoon gaps when he realizes that he’s almost bare save for the satin shirt he’s wearing. His battle gears and twin swords are nowhere to be found too. Daniel must have hidden them somewhere to prevent him from doing anything brash. His shaking fingers automatically find themselves between his sleeves to claw on the soft fabric, his sensitive nose crinkles at the smell of rain and wet earth. It smells familiar; it smells like _home_.

 

(Like _Daniel_.)

 

“Hey, stop daydreaming,” Daniel says as he puts down a tray with a bowl of porridge and water on the bed carefully. He presses his forehead against him, not noticing that Jihoon has gone mute from the intimate gesture, and checks his temperature. A sigh weaves through his lips when he feels his fever lessening. “You’re getting better.” he murmurs. “Now eat before it gets cold.”

 

“Why?” asks Jihoon, breaking out his trance. “Why are you doing this?” his voice gets smaller as he holds the bowl of lukewarm porridge between his hands. “Don’t act like this.”

 

Daniel sighs and plants himself on the chair beside him. “We’ll talk later, for now just eat. You may not like it, but you have to eat.”

 

Gritting his teeth, Jihoon turns away. “Fine.”

 

Jihoon looks at him for a moment before he brings a spoonful of the mushy food past his dry lips. It tastes good and warm—it makes him warm. He didn’t know that he missed the feeling. After Daniel was gone, he couldn’t feel a thing. It’s a curse of having a mate but unable to be with; everything he touched, everything he tasted feel like sandpaper across his taste buds. Smiling softly, Jihoon takes another spoon into his mouth, and another, until he realizes that he’d gobbled the whole bowl down in a count of minutes.

 

“That’s fast.” Daniel says, blinking at him. “You must be really hungry. Wait here, I’m going to bring you more.”

 

Jihoon drops his smile the moment Daniel disappears into another room.

 

The only comfort he has—and perhaps the only thing closest to relief—is Daniel’s sweet smell which still lingering beside him. Jihoon closes his eyes for a moment before he opens them again, trying to picture his own walls and shadows back in his room in the association.

 

It’s different.

 

The walls in his room, the shadows, the dark corners, the ceiling; everything looks almost identical to Jihoon’s, but still, it’s different. His walls don’t have writings hidden beneath the wallpapers. His shadow is not haunting. So does his corners and ceiling. They look oddly normal for him, and even though he knows that Daniel had been through the same thing like him, his world doesn’t seem as broken like his.

 

(Or perhaps, it’s just him. Perhaps it’s his presence which makes it different.)

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

“What are you doing?” Jihoon snaps back into reality when a hand touches his tenderly. “You’ve been staring at nothing for minutes. Are you feeling sick again?”

 

“Ah—” he bites his bottom lip. “Nothing. It’s… nothing.”

 

Daniel is silent for a moment before he nods at him. “Fine then, but tell me when you’re feeling dizzy.”

 

Jihoon only nods, too afraid to talk. Because this is Daniel; his _mate_. The person who he'd loved with everything he had. But he’s also the person who'd left him all alone ten years ago despite his cry for him to stay. So, no—Jihoon doesn’t know how to talk to him anymore. Not after everything that happened in the past.

 

( _Not_ after he killed his brother in cold blood.)

 

“Jihoon,” he pauses, “Can I ask you something?”

 

“Does it matter?” says Jihoon, bitter. “It’s not like you to ask for permission.”

 

“Then,” Daniel stops to give his hand a squeeze as if he is afraid that Jihoon’s going to run. “Do you still take your suppressants and blood pills like I told you to?”

 

Jihoon’s smile withers. “You’re still concerned about that?”

 

“Yeah—I mean,” Daniel licks his lips, “You know how dangerous it is if you lose control—” he stops and looks at Jihoon, his previous sentence remains untold. “I know that you don’t want to risk hurting your teammates when you’re in thirst. When was the last time you took your blood pills? Did Guanlin—”

 

“Shut up.”

 

Daniel stills.

 

“Just shut your mouth.” Jihoon hisses. “Stop talking as if you care about me!”

 

He is looking at him again, but Jihoon refuses to acknowledge his presence.

 

“But I care.” he murmurs. “I do care about you, Jihoonie. No matter what happens, you’ll be my first priority.”

 

Jihoon smiles at the utter helplessness pricking between Daniel’s words. His smile widens as laugh bubbles through his dry throat. Something is wrong with him, he feels so full and empty at the same times.

 

“Please believe me,” Daniel whispers and cups his face gently, his thumbs brush against his wet cheeks—

 

_Wait, wet?_

“I care about you.”

 

_What’s wrong with me?_

 

“I need you to believe in me, Jihoon. I don’t ask for anything else, just believe in me.”

 

_Why I’m crying?_

 

Jihoon breaks.

 

“Believe in you?” he is laughing—he _knows_ that he’s laughing but why it sounds like he’s crying instead? “A-Aha…ha, what the fuck are you saying…?”

 

He gulps down a sob, his eyes burning and heart beating miles and miles away. It hurts. Everything hurts.

 

“Jihoon,” Daniel begins, red eyes staring lovingly at him. “Please.”

 

The younger turns to look at him, and when he catches the warmth beneath those crimson orbs, he is breaking all over again.

 

“You killed my brother.” he starts with a bitter smile, voice shaking. “You, my own mate, killed him in front of me in cold blood. I saw everything with my own eyes. When you rammed your sword through his chest, I was _there_. But you ignored my plea and left me alone in the cold, watching your back to me. Do you know how much it hurt me to watch you walk away? And now you dare to come back and show your face after ten years of silence.  _Tell me_ , Kang Daniel, _why_ should I believe you anymore?”

 

A choked sob runs through his lips. Jihoon shuts his eyes.

 

“We were _so_ happy, the three of us; my brother, me—” Jihoon opens his eyes, pearly tears falling down his cheeks into his thumbs. “And _you_ , we were so happy so _why_ did you do that, huh? Why did you kill the only family I had left? Why did you kill them all? _Why_ Daniel?”

 

“I’m sorry.” he whispers.

 

“I want to die, sometimes,” Jihoon confesses, biting his lips when he sees him grimacing from his harsh words. “I was left alone by the only family I had, and the person I loved the most abandoned me. You were all I had left, without you I am nothing. But even after all of that—I still can’t hate you.” he said. “ _I can’t_.”

 

“Then don’t,” Daniel says softly. “Please don’t hate me.”

 

“Why?” Jihoon shakes his head, chuckling wetly. “I should—I should have hated you the moment you disappeared from my life, but I was too stupid,” he wipes his face hard. “T-To weak to understand that you—”

 

“Everything happens for a reason.” he chides.

 

“Then what’s yours?” asks Jihoon, frustrated. “What’s the reason for abandoning a family behind?”

 

Silence greets him.

 

“To live,” Daniel says after a moment, wiping his tears away. “To protect someone precious. To save them—it’s all the same. But sometimes, we need to do something cruel to save the one we love.”

 

Jihoon shuts his lips tight at that.

 

“So you will leave again?” he whispers.

 

“Not if I can help it.”

 

“But—”

 

“If it’s your safety than mine, then you know the answer.”

 

Jihoon laughs. “You’re really cruel. This is the reason why I don’t want to see you again. It hurts when you leave, and I don’t think I can take it again.”

 

“I don’t think I can take it too.” Daniel shrugs. “You mean the world to me, you know. If you die—” he falters, voice slightly shaking. “I don’t even want to think about it. But I’m not going to give up. Someday I will make you realize it.”

 

Jihoon looks at him and sees honesty within his eyes.                                                               

                                                         

“I will never leave you,” he says, as though it’s all that matters. “You’re my mate, my Jihoon. I’d rather die than leave you.”

 

Jihoon blinks at him. Daniel pulls his hand.

 

“I’m not the same Daniel from ten years ago.” he smiles softly, and his eyes are honest; relenting. “But I’m here, in the present, with you. And for me, that’s all matters.”

 

The look he wears is tender, it makes Jihoon’s heart beats like nothing before. “Daniel… why?”

 

He answers him with a soft peck on his lips. “Because I love you. Always have and always been.”

 

Blocking Daniel voice from his ears – because he hates his lies, hates his excuses and yet loves him – Jihoon lets himself being pulled into a kiss. He sighs into his mouth, his vision begins to blur into puzzles as Daniel’s lips claim his desperately in one sweep of motion.

 

And then, his mind is blank.

 

Daniel kisses him roughly, hungrily, so full of raw emotions while his hands release his and take their claim on his waist. Jihoon gasps, lips part in between, and Daniel doesn’t take his sweet time to sink his tongue inside his warm cavern. The older tastes like blood and heavy rain, and maybe also a little bit of peach he loves so much. Jihoon skin burns, and he’s closing his amber eyes, taking in every fleeting bites and brushes Daniel brings to his lips. And he thinks, he really misses the feeling of Daniel’s lips upon his.

 

Jihoon pushes his hand against his chest when Daniel cradles him even closer, feeling his warmth as he presses his body flat against his. The heat inside him begins to build up again, and burning, and smoldering, but it doesn't matter anymore because the only thing that Jihoon can feel beside the heat is him; and only him.

 

He doesn’t know how long had passed when Daniel finally releases his lips and breathes harshly; face inches from Jihoon’s while his hands circle around his petite body.

 

“Are you thirsty?” Daniel whispers between uneven breaths. “Do you want to—?”

 

Before Daniel even finishes his sentence, Jihoon already plants his mouth on the junction of his neck. Threading his fingers through Daniel's golden tresses, he pulls his head aside to sank his fangs into the smooth expanse of skin. Moaning at the intoxicating flavor which swarms his mouth and spreads across his taste buds, Jihoon presses himself closer to him; feeling all hot and bothered with the burning sensation in the pit of his stomach.

 

"J-Jihoon….."

 

Hearing his name uttered on Daniel’s lips makes his moans get even louder. He buckles helplessly against the older as he sucks, engulfing the red substance which trickles down his collarbone greedily with the sweep of his tongue.

 

_More._

 

His lips burn because of the hunger inside him which could not be satisfied, making his legs weak and leaving white spots across his vision. Gasping for more, Jihoon’s hearing went out completely, his mind shutting down and the only thing he can focus on is the addicting taste inside of his mouth.

 

_Give me more._

 

He could hear his name being repeated continuously like a mantra, but it’s unclear like the sound is from far off; only an echo, a stifle. Brushing it off as merely his imagination, Jihoon continues lapping at the skin beneath his mouth. It’s like the whispers of encouragement in his head has increased in frequency and volume, blocking out most of the noise of refusal in his ears.

 

“Jihoon,” A cold palm touches the skin of his neck. “Enough.”

 

(Something inside him laughs, encouraging him to keep the game on; to keep tasting him; tasting him until there's nothing left—until he's gone.)

 

_Jihoon-ah, never forget._

 

He jerks back.

 

_An eye for an eye; you have to avenge me._

 

Tears begin to gather at the corner of his eyes.

 

_Kill him for me, darling._

 

“ _SHUT UP!_ ” Jihoon screams at the top of his lungs, his body shaking badly while bullets of sweat form across his brow. His hands reach his head before they start yanking on the strands forcefully, his body high-strung with the need to kill the person in front of him. “ _STAY AWAY FROM ME!”_

 

“Jihoon, please—” Daniel’s voice is small, and unsure, just like a child. "Don’t do that, don’t push me away again."

 

_You can hear me, don't you?_

 

“N-No—” he shakes his head, wracking a sob. His pupils are blown wide, but instead of his amber irises, they are glowing bright sapphire. "S-Stay away from me y-you murderer—”

 

_Kill him for me, darling._

 

“Believe me when I say that everything I’ve done, I’ve done for you,” Daniel says desperately. “I love you, Jihoon. And I will always love you for eternity.”

 

 _An eye for an eye,_ the voice whispers into his eyes. _Never forget._

 

“Why?” he whispers and lets his hands fall on the bed, eyes empty and unseeing. Jihoon is so tired, so, so tired of everything. "Tell me... why now of all times?”

 

“I’m sorry,” Daniel says instead, brushing a hair from Jihoon’s eyes gently. “I’m so sorry for leaving. Let me make it up to you, alright?”

 

“Do you really think it’s that easy?” Jihoon smiles bitterly. “It means nothing now. Release me from this place."

 

Daniel frowns. “Why would I do that?”

 

“Because I’m a fucking hunter. Return me back to the association.” he spits the words harshly. “And if you forgot, I promised my brother that I will kill you. So please, do me a favor before I kill you right now."

 

“Jihoon...” Daniel voice wavers. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”

 

“Why?” asks Jihoon, a twisted smile tears itself among his lips. “We’re going to kill each other, anyway.”

 

Daniel looks at him in silence, his red eyes gleaming brightly as if they are trying to burn him whole. “Because you’re mine, Jihoon-ah.” he murmurs. “You’re mine for eternity.”

 

And just like a mirage, Jihoon feels Daniel’s lips touch him for a fleeting second before he disappears. He’s leaving him again, just like that gruesome night ten years ago. Jihoon feels his heart ruptures beneath his skin, the gaping wound bleeding the words he supposed to say but unable in the end.

 

A lone tear falls from his eye.

 

_Yours, huh?_

 

“Ah,” Jihoon pulls his feet against his chest and sinks his face between the valley of his knees. “You’re really cruel, Daniel-hyung.”

 

* * *

_because they made a monster,  
and called it their savior._

* * *

 

tbc—?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, I didn’t mean to make it this long… I’m definitely going crazy lmao (O.O)”
> 
> Anyway don’t ask me why I write this AU lmao because I don’t even understand what’s going on with my mind XD. To put it bluntly, I’m currently writing a collection of AU with various Jihoon pairing and I think it’s a great idea to write my first AU with my OTP a.k.a nielwink :) BTW WHAT’S WRONG WITH NIELWINK THEY’RE SAILING SO HARD OHMYGOD!
> 
> *Jihoon’s voice* Daniel~ do you want me?
> 
> Asdahgfhdagfaglasldhalshjdhsaljhdlsdjld. Please pair them together in Wanna Go I beg you ugh I’m so glad I’m stanning the right pairing *DIES*
> 
> Anyway, I predicted this story will only takes three to four chapters to be completed but then again who knows~ I hope that you like it! Comments and thoughts are welcome ^^
> 
> P.S: Sorry for the grammatical errors and mistake! English is not my mother language so I’m still learning :) Once again thanks for reading!


	2. all hail to the kingdom of death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once he was four years old, his brother told him that he would meet someone that could quench his thirst. He said that seven years into the future, Jihoon would meet his destiny; would have what he wanted, would have managed to fill his utmost desire and yet—
> 
> (And yet.)

The afternoon sky bloomed behind the shallow curtain, casting dimmed light across the room in overlapping amber streaks. Minhyun watched as the golden strip fell across his skin and highlighted the dark, scattering marks on his arms. He immediately covered it with his sleeves when he heard footsteps echoing from the corridor outside. The familiar smell of rain and citrus suddenly bursts inside his nostrils, and it pulled a soft smile on his face.

 

_It’s definitely him_ , he thought.

 

“Hyung!” Minhyun sighed when his brother’s loud voice entered his ears. There was Jihoon, standing at the entrance with a wooden basket hanging off his arm. He walked straight into his desk, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Have a picnic with me in the garden, please?”

 

“Not now, Hoonie.” Minhyun smiled at him, hands flying on top his head to ruffle his dark hair. “Why don’t you ask Danik? You two are always together anyway.”

 

“I don’t wanna.” he stomped down childishly, lips puckering into an annoyed pout. “He’s being really annoying right now.”

 

Sighing tiredly, Minhyun put the document he was working on back into the table before he scooted down to level his eyes with Jihoon’s. “Hyung needs to work on something, okay? You remember rule number nine?”

 

“Don’t bother hyung when he’s working…” Jihoon answered almost immediately, still pouting. “But I want to play in the garden! It’s so boring here…”

 

“Really though, why don’t you play with Danik?” The pureblood asked, curious. “The two of you fighting again?”

 

“No! He’s just annoying.” he shook his head, denying. “He ignored me all the time I tried to talk with him. And when he did talk to me, he didn’t even look at me in the eye, like he was about to get cursed or something. So annoying.”

 

Minhyun raised his eyebrow at the revelation. “He ignored you?”

 

“Hm-mh,” Jihoon’s eyes turned downcast. Something flashed across his orbs, something akin to confusion, and maybe also a little bit of desperation. “It’s like he hates me or something…”

 

“Did you do something?” Minhyun pulled him up and settled him into his laps. He began to play with Jihoon’s hair, long fingers running across his scalp in a soothing motion. “Anything weird? It’s unusual for him to ignore you, let alone leaving you for a long period of time. He must have gone crazy by now.”

 

Jihoon was silent for a minute, before he shifted his head, a red blush adorning his chubby cheeks.

 

“I just—u-uhm, I-I… kissed him?” he played with his fingers, face heating up even more. “B-But only on the check! Nothing more than that!”

 

Minhyun smiled.

 

“Go see him, okay?” He kissed the top of Jihoon’s head softly, laughing when the younger whined at the intimate gesture. “Trust me, he’s just shy. He’s just trying to not scare you away.”

 

Jihoon nodded and closed his eyes, leaning back against Minhyun’s broad chest.

 

“Jihoonie?”

 

“Yes hyung?”

 

“Promise me something.”

 

Jihoon blinked. “Huh?”

 

“Promise me—” He murmured into his hair, and there was something incredibly sad and painful in the way he tightened his arms around Jihoon’s small body. “When the time comes where you have to pick between two persons that you love, always listen to your heart, never to your eyes.”

 

There was a pause, and Jihoon tilted his head a little to catch his eyes. “Why are you—?”

 

Minhyun shook his head, smiling. “Just promise me.”

 

Silence came in between, but then;

 

“Okay, I promise.”

 

* * *

—[ **a e t e r n u m   v a l e** ]—

}{

{ we do not fear death, but we thought of death, }  
_remember that i was what you are, and you will be what i am._

_because we are supernovas; 01_  
「kang **daniel/** park **jihoon** ; vampire **au** 」

 }{

* * *

c h a p t e r   t w o  
「 _all hail to the kingdom, let us break_ 」

* * *

}{

 

Once again, Jihoon is dreaming.

 

(It’s not a pleasant one; nor it’s a nightmare. It’s memory, he thinks. A memory that he had buried deep inside his heart a long time ago.)

 

It is a bright, toneless blue sky that he first remembers. In a middle of nowhere; a sky that is too far off to be touched and the quietness which lulls his mind into stagnate.

 

Jihoon closes his eyes; breathing in, then out.

 

There were pink petals and wilting leaves weaving themselves over his hair. Rough barks of the old weeping cherry tree scratching his neck whenever he leaned back. And also his brother’s gentle smile, his warm hands, the way he ran his fingers among his hair; tinged with sadness. The sound of their laugh and the old gramophone mingling into one wistful melody; he remembers it all.

 

(Jihoon was just a child, back then.)

 

Once he was four years old, his brother told him that he would meet someone that could quench his thirst. He said that seven years into the future, Jihoon would meet his destiny; would have what he wanted, would have managed to fill his utmost desire and yet—

 

(And yet.)

 

Opening his eyes, Jihoon weaves a sigh.

 

His brother’s premonition was right, though. Because exactly seven years later, Jihoon finally met him.

 

Kang Daniel was sixteen years old, and Jihoon was eleven years old when they first met. Young Jihoon was supposed to make his grand entrance on an annual gala hosted by the palace, but denied by the guards the moment he stepped into the building despite his status as the rightful heir of both Hwang and Park clans; two of the oldest pureblood clans which still existed in South Korea.

 

In hindsight, he would have scurried right away and returned to their mansion in silence, too tired to face yet another discord. But before he could even move, Kang Daniel had made himself known.

 

(That, he thinks, was the moment when his world began to change.)

 

The blonde crowned vampire strode past the mingling audience and held the mahogany door to let him in without so much as a greeting. The guards could only stare at him in shock, and Jihoon soon mirrored their expression when he caught the pureblood’s face in his peripheral vision. He thought that he must be dreaming when he saw the older turned around to smile at him.

 

But the moment the door was closed behind him and the series of gasps and shrieks from the inside became clearer, Jihoon finally realized that it was real.

 

Everyone in the hall went silent with shock and surprise when Daniel suddenly bowed deeply in front of Jihoon, asking for his hand with a charming smile. Jihoon was too shocked to even register anything, so he let Daniel kiss his knuckles briefly and guide him inside, his arm circling around his in a loose grip. Still with stuttering heart, he took in a deep breath, finally mustering enough courage to look at him head-on.

 

Within the moment of a couple of breaths, Jihoon was floored by the creature in front of him because for the love of god he was—

 

> _“Park Jihoon, isn’t it?”_ he said softly; gently. _“It’s nice to finally meet you in person. My name is Kang Daniel, pleased to meet you.”_

 

(He was beautiful.)

 

Daniel’s smile that day reminds him of sunshine; of the days he spent under the summer blue sky back in the hammock up the hill. It’s so warm and gentle, unlike the smiles of the other habitants of the vampire population which always regarded him with blank stares and disgusted sneers.

 

> _“Yah, why are you looking at me like that, Jihoonie?”_ He smiled at him, that eye-smile he loved so much. _“Come on! Minhyun-hyung and Dongho-hyung are waiting for us!”_

 

(His smile was everything to him; back then.)

 

> _“Aigoo, why are you’re such a clutz.”_ he pulled him into his arms, carrying him with ease. There was a fond smile on his face. _“Put your arms around my neck and stay still okay?”_

 

Because for the first time since forever, someone other than his brother finally acknowledged his existence. Someone finally realized that he was alive; that he was capable of feeling and smiling and crying and, well, everything.

 

> _“You’re not tainted. You’re the most beautiful being that I’ve ever come cross, Park Jihoon.”_ Daniel stroke his cheek gently before he pressed his lips against the middle of his forehead. _“Never doubt that even for a second.”_

 

(Kang Daniel was, by no doubt, Jihoon’s first love, and maybe also his last.)

 

Ever since then, they had grown close to the point that Jihoon felt weird if the older wasn’t at least a meter away from him. Sometimes he asked himself as for why he let him close without even putting up a fight. It felt as if Daniel was invading him, and he had no way to push him away; his innermost self was becoming wide open for him to peek at.

 

But the feeling was not unwelcomed.

 

(Jihoon found himself liking the way Daniel’s arms always seemed to curl themselves around him in a protective manner. The way he laughed at his funny antics. The way he said his name with so much elation; so much _love_.)

 

Spending time with Daniel was probably his most favorite time in the whole world. It was always an enjoyable time since Daniel was so intrigued by everything he’d said and done that no matter what Jihoon did, the older would smile and laugh brightly with excitement.

 

(It gave him some kind of solace; another chance to be normal again despite the growing stigma and divided stances over his supposedly tainted blood.)

 

Jihoon knew not to expect anything, though. His brother had chosen to not tell him about his origin to protect him from the pain, but others weren’t as thoughtful. Jihoon had learned the cruel truth from a passing stranger one cold winter, making him aware of the mixed blood which ran through his veins.

 

So no, Jihoon didn’t expect anything but budding friendship from the older and tried to maintain his distance.

 

But Daniel, well, he proved him otherwise.

 

> _“I believe that I’m old enough to make the right decisions,”_ Daniel began, a soft smile spread across his face. _“But I also know that I’m young enough to make the wrong ones. But for you—”_ his eyes softened. “ _For you, I’m fine with taking chances.”_

 

The pureblood was pretty straight forward with his feelings, which was unusual for people to generally be toward him. Jihoon was used to people pretending not to notice his different characteristics for most of the time. Some people didn’t even understand that he was no different to them, which made them target him with less friendly comments and let him know he wasn’t like them. And they treated him severely. As if he was less than them. As if he was nothing but dirt under their shoes.

 

> _“So will you give me a chance, Jihoon?”_

 

(Daniel was different from them.)

 

> _“Will you give me a chance to love you?”_

 

So when Kang Daniel, second in line of the infamous royal bloodline, offered him a place beside his throne, Jihoon was beyond astounded. Daniel treated him like he was his whole universe and he couldn’t ask for anything better. Everything seemed so easy back then, so, _so_ easy and Jihoon was happy.

 

(But then he learned that happiness never lasts forever.)

 

Eight years after their fateful meeting, Jihoon was still with Daniel, but there was no more butterflies and fireworks, and instead, there was rage boiling in the pit of his stomach. And it was all because Daniel had just rammed a silver sword into his brother’s chest and watched him disappear into dust with hollowed eyes.

 

Then he left.

 

(Daniel killed his brother in cold blood and left him all alone without even sparing him a glance.)

 

And that’s it. That’s how their story ended.

 

When he thinks about it again, everything seems like a poorly constructed story. Like a chain of events without a plot and it’s funny; it’s funny how fate played with his life.

 

To put it short, his brother was nothing but a memory. Jonghyun and Minki saved him and brought him under their care and raised him like their own. Daniel was nowhere to be found; their bond fading fast. And later, Jihoon learned that he had left the country two months after his brother’s death without so much as a goodbye.

 

_It’s a bad story, right?_

 

And that’s how Jihoon began to despise him. Because no matter how hard he tried to deny it; and no matter how hard it was for him to let go, there’s no chance for them to fix anything.

 

So why; why after all the heartache, after all the pain he’d brought upon his shoulders, Jihoon can’t let this wretched feeling go?

 

_Why?_

 

That is the only thing on his mind for the last two hours.

 

_Why even after all this time, I still love him?_

 

Jihoon licks his lips. The sweet taste of Daniel's blood still remained between his teeth. He can never wash it off, he thinks.

 

_Why I can’t seem to forget him entirely?_

 

When Jihoon feels his eyes suddenly blaring into life; he finally gets his answer.

 

* * *

_somewhere_ _across the world, in the middle of nowhere,  
there is a kingdom of death._

* * *

}{

 

Jihoon is a beautiful human being, and everyone knows that. To hurt someone like him is unforgivable. But Daniel; he had exactly done that.

 

(He’d hurt him. Broke him even, until he couldn’t piece himself together anymore.)

 

Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t at the gala that he first met Jihoon. When he first met the younger, it was a bright sunny day, and Daniel had just turned fourteen. Under the cherry tree which bloomed early that year, he saw him sitting with his older brother, laughing heartily.

 

Jihoon was so _beautiful_.

 

(He was so beautiful that he couldn’t tear his eyes off from him for the rest of the afternoon, his heart beating like a metronome against his chest-bones.)

 

_It was love at first sight._

 

When Daniel saw his smile for the first time, he knew that Jihoon was special. It was cliché, and the way Daniel had hidden himself and admired him from afar was even more cliché, but he was entranced, he was in love, and it was all matter. He thought that it was all matter.

 

(How wrong he was.)

 

Fast forward into the future, Jihoon was still with him, but he was crying under the rain of snow instead.

 

Daniel never asked why the young boy was crying, because he’d already known the reason was himself. He didn’t even try to talk to him, or ask for his forgiveness, but at least he let him cry in his arms until his voice hoarse and nose running. Daniel gave him his coat too, and told him that he was pretty when he cried, but he would be prettier if he were smiling instead.

 

Jihoon had glared at him through his wet lashes, still with his tear-streaked cheeks and quivering lips, and it felt like his heart was breaking into halves.

 

So Daniel left.

 

He left him crying under the pouring snow, between the carnage he’d caused in blinding rage and his late brother’s scattering dust. He left him screaming after his back; each step propelling his name from his trembling lips like a prayer. He left him mourning and broken and _incomplete_.

 

(He left him just like that, without so much as a goodbye.)

 

Daniel was disappointed in himself because until the end he couldn’t say sorry, but at least he moved on. The feeling of Minhyun’s cooling blood and Jihoon’s dried tears were still fresh across his skin for the first few hours. But then hours became days, days became months, months became years, and he was fine.

 

No, he thought that he was fine.

 

(Daniel didn’t realize it at first, but his heart had become empty.)

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Daniel, where the fuck have you been?”

 

A familiar voice snaps him back into reality. Daniel turns around to see Seongwoo frowning at him in distaste.

 

“Ah, it’s you.” The pureblood greets him casually as if Seongwoo doesn’t look like he is about to skin him alive. “Long time no see.”

 

“Long time no see, _hyung_.” mocks Seongwoo, his dry amusement is evident. “I can’t believe you. What the fuck were you thinking? Where have you been for the past two weeks huh? Do you even know—”

 

“I’m with Jihoon.”

 

“—how worried we—” Seongwoos stops mid-sentence. “Wait, what?”

 

Daniel chuckles at the disbelief written across his face. “I’m with Jihoon, hyung.”

 

Silence rains down the room. Daniel tries not to hear the echoes of fear ricocheting off the hardening walls of his heart. He knows that look upon his face so well.

 

“You—” he pauses, pupils blown wide. “…you’re with _who?_ ”

 

“My mate.” answers Daniel, smiling bitterly. “Do you still remember him, hyung? That Jihoon you always teased, that Jihoon you thought as your own little brother, do you still remember?”

 

Something heavy settles in his heart when he sees the way Seongwoo’s face turns chalk white.

 

“Where is he? Where did you keep him?” Seongwoo hisses low, crimson eyes blaring in the darkness. “Daniel, I swear to god—”

 

“Our secret basement up north,” he says truthfully. “Why? Do you want to meet him?”

 

“You’re asking the wrong thing.” his answer is fast and sharp, and he sounds so sure of himself that it’s sickening. “Does _Jihoon_ want to meet _me_?”

 

“I don’t know.” Daniel pauses. “You just have to find out, don’t you?”

 

“Daniel… you…” Soengowo shakes his head. “I just don’t understand you anymore. What are you planning already? Why are you dragging Jihoon into this mess? I thought that you’re trying to keep him safe!”

 

“I didn’t drag him,” Daniel says quietly. “Jihoon has already been in the mess since the beginning. I’m just trying to protect him.”

 

He hopes that Jihoon understands his reason – whatever it is – and hopes that everything can go back to the way it was. He is fine with not seeing that smile directed at him again. Not hearing that laugh. Not feeling that warmth inside his chest. He is fine with everything as long as he can erase those pain inside his mate’s eyes and protect him at all cost.

 

_I’m doing it for Jihoon—_

 

(Because everything he’d been giving him until now was nothing but sadness.)

 

_Right?_

 

Daniel sighs into the cold air. Sometimes all he needs is to cry and be sad. To break down and be torn apart. To learn how to pick himself up and put the broken pieces together. Because sometimes, the only way for him – and them – to be happy is to give into sadness first.

 

But he can’t.

 

(He won’t.)

 

“ _Protect_ him you say?”

 

Seongwoo’s grating voice snaps him back to reality. He looks up, and catch the older vampire’s eyes almost immediately. The way Seongwoo looks at him is something Daniel can’t forget for a lifetime.

 

“Don’t make me laugh, Daniel.” The noble bends himself in half, body shaking with mirth. He actually has the audacity to laugh at him. “Fuck, what are you even talking about?”

 

“Ong Seongwoo,” he hisses, dropping the honorific behind his name. “I’m warning you.”

 

The noble pays him no heed, and if possible, his laugh gets even louder; sinister.

 

“A-Ah, this is so funny.” He chokes on his own laughter. “You and your brother, both of you are one of a kind. Truly.”

 

Daniel flinches at the comparison, but still keeps his composure tight and eyes blank. “ _You_ ,” The pureblood grits his teeth. “How da—”

 

“Bring me to Park Jihoon,” Seongwoo suddenly commands, crimson eyes blaring into life. His face is dark and guarded, but Daniel can see the desperation behind his eyes as clear as day. “I want to meet him.”

 

Daniel breathes in, then out. “For what?”

 

“I have to see him with my own eyes, Daniel,” answers Seongwoo. “I have to make sure that you’re doing a right thing by holding him hostage.”

 

A pause, and then;

 

“Because if you don’t—well,” Seongwoo stops to send him an eerily bright smile. “I need to do something to change that, right?”

 

* * *

_a place where the cursed was born,_  
a place where tragedy struck.

* * *

}{

 

Seongwoo takes his breath, pulling the air into his lungs until they are full and wet.

 

_This is it._

 

He looks ahead into the unmade bed where Jihoon’s pale form sits, looking out at the scenery from big window at his right. His fringe, still black and smooth, has plastered itself against his forehead into hopeless disarray, flaring out against the line of his eyebrows. The oversized shirt that he wore slips over his shoulder, revealing pale ivory skin of his neck and collarbones. There is also a velvet cloak draped over his shivering built; pale royal blue in color just like the shade of his eyes.

 

_Just like Minhyun’s._

 

Shaking an insistent mental image of Minhyun's blank, lifeless eyes away, Seongwoo gulps down the fear back into his throat and works a smile between his lips.

 

“Hey, Jihoon-ah.” Seongwoo calls him, softly; gently. “Long time no see, hm?”

 

Seongwoo prepares himself when Jihoon turns around and pins his eyes on him. He notices that his previous blank eyes are now staring at him with bafflement.

 

_Still sky eyes_ , he thinks.

 

“S-Seongwoo-hyung…?” whispers Jihoon, his eyes now wide open. “H-How—?”

 

The noble watches as tears begin to fill his eyes. Jihoon gives a little whimper low in his throat, and his trembling hands rise to cup his mouth as if trying to hold the barrage of words from coming through.

 

“You—” he croaks out. “You’re _alive_.”

 

Seongwoo widens his eyes at the utter disbelief on Jihoon’s voice, and his legs give out under him for a moment, forcing him to steel his already weak body.

 

_So Daniel still hasn’t told him the truth._

 

“I’m alive, Jihoon-ah.” Seongwoo says with a gentle tone. “I’m still alive.”

 

“B-But I watched you die—” he whimpers, hands flying to fist themselves among his dark locks, tugging hard. “You and Minhyun-hyung, and even Jaewhan-hyung, I watched all of you die! I watched D-Daniel—Daniel…”

 

Seongwoo can feel the weight of Jihoon's gaze and knows the younger is looking at the paling scars that ran along his chest up to his neck. He still remembers the feeling, somehow. The sword had ripped his chest then, tracing a long, red line along his ribs, but—

 

(But _his_ cruel laughter had hurt a thousand times more than the strike.)

 

Seongwoo walks closer, dragging his steps with him. He sees Jihoon flinch backward, but he continues walking until he arrives at the foot of his bed.

 

“I didn’t die, Jihoon.” Seongwoo urges with a whisper and holds out his arms for him. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

 

At that, Jihoon slowly moves over to the older and puts his arms around his back to pull him close. The half-blood holds him with desperation as if he’s trying to claim all of the comforts he could from his warmth and it breaks Seongwoo’s heart into pieces. Because Jihoon was strong; he was so strong, even when the entire world weighed itself upon his shoulders. But now—

 

(Right now, Jihoon looks so broken beyond repair.)

 

“I’m sorry.” He murmurs to his hair. “I’m so sorry, Jihoon. I’m so sorry for not being there for you.”

 

Jihoon’s hold against his back tightens.

 

“You didn’t die.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You’re _alive.”_

 

Seongwoo pauses for a moment, then kisses his forehead softly.

 

“Yes Jihoon, I’m alive.”

 

Jihoon doesn’t respond him for a moment or two before he feels something wet dripping against his chest. “Minhyun-hyung—he’s dead.”

 

“Yeah.” Seongwoo chews on his lower lip. “I’ve heard.”

 

“Why did he have to die?” asks Jihoon with trembling voice. “Why did he have to die and leave me all alone?”

 

“Jihoon—”

 

“All of you left me too.” he cuts him off. “You, Jaehwan-hyung, Jisung-hyung, and even little Woojin.” He chokes on his tears. “Why did you leave me? Why didn’t you take me with you?”

 

Seongwoo feels tears pricking the corner of his eyes. “Jihoon I’m—”

 

“Why did you leave me only to come back?” he whispers brokenly. “How can I hate you now? I was supposed to hate you. I was supposed to hate all of you so why… Why you have to come back?”

 

“Jihoon…” Seongwoo tightens his grip. “Please don’t cry.”

 

“You’re so cruel, hyung.” He cries into the middle of his chest. “I hate you, I _hate_ all of you.”

 

The guilt and regret from the distant past slams against his chest as Jihoon’s tears prick against his skin. The smell of tears always has this effect on him. It’d happened with Minhyun, and it’d happened with Daniel. Now it happens even with Jihoon, as if his weakness for tears knows no boundaries. It’s pathetic of him, he knows. The moment someone cries, he can’t stop himself from wallowing in it and lets his emotions run free, which always ends up with him hating himself little by little.

 

(But Jihoon’s tears has always been his number one weakness, and he hates it. Seongwoo hates the fact that he’s one of the reasons for his never-ending pain, but there’s nothing he can do to change anything.)

 

Seongwoo runs his fingers through Jihoon’s hair, his face scrunches up in silent tears.

 

“I’ll help you, Jihoon,” he whispers. “This time around, I promise that I will be there whenever you need me. _I promise_.”

 

* * *

_and within the death, within the carnage,  
he finds the solace of his pain._

* * *

}{

 

Jihoon doesn’t really know what he’s doing.

 

(Doesn’t really know whether to cry or laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.)

 

Ever since Seongwoo came barging into his room, nothing is the same. Daniel doesn’t visit him anymore, and instead, his presence is slowly replaced by Seongwoo’s. Every night the noble vampire will visit him, seeking his company between the darkness of his room. He will sit on the wooden chair beside his bed and tells him about his day with a smile on his face. Seongwoo’s smile is soft and gentle, and it reminds him of Minhyun’s.

 

(It reminds him of the day he left behind, and it still hurts, even now.)

 

Their interaction is mostly innocent, with Seongwoo trying his best to tear a smile from his dry lips with everything he has. But then his thirst has to kick in, has to ruin every self-control he has built around his heart, and in a moment of weakness, Jihoon relents to Seongwoo’s offer of his blood and drinks from him.

 

(And when he’s sated and full; when he’s calm enough to think straight again, all he can feel is guilt at its finest.)

 

Jihoon should have felt nothing, _should have_ , but instead, he finds himself gnawing at the slight guilt embed inside his heart. There is nothing to be guilty about; because he’s no longer Daniel's, their bond had long disappeared down the memory lane. All he feels about him is burning ice. No longer warmth, no flame.

 

(Even though so, he knows that he’s lying to himself about the flame. Jihoon knows that the love he feels for him still burning inside his chest, and he knows that he will continue seeking his presence in his life, no matter how much he hates him with every fiber of his being.)

 

_It’s all about blood and bones, after all._

 

So Jihoon finally makes his decision one late afternoon and tries not to picture Daniel in Seongwoo’s place. Because Seongwoo is not Daniel. He is Seongwoo; his late brother’s best friend, his place to lean on.

 

(And that’s all he will be for him, for all eternity.)

 

“I’m sorry,” he says. Both of his hands are still shaking because of the sweet nectar which flows through the walls of his throat. It burns him, the taste.  “Hyung, I think—I think we should stop.”

 

Seongwoo only blinks at him, hands busy wiping the red smudge off his skin before he starts buttoning up his collar. Bruises shaped like crescent smear across his pale jaw and shoulders, rounding twin holes which still oozing blood. Near those scars, he can also pick up a few reddening spots and some blue swells. His stomach begins to churn at the thought of him making those marks just minutes ago.

 

“I didn’t mean to leech off your blood.” Jihoon clears his voice, gulping down a lump which formed behind his throat. “I should have never—”

 

“When was the last time you drank before I started offering my blood, hm?” he cuts him off. “I’m sure you refused Daniel all the time.” He turns to eye the white bottle beside his bed. “And those blood pills… you don’t even take them anymore.”

 

_Daniel doesn’t even visit me anymore_ , he wants to say. _I don’t think he cares whether I die or not._

 

Jihoon doesn’t say any of that, though, and instead, he chooses to bite the inside of his lips, trying to wash off the remains of Seongwoo’s blood with his own.

 

“But I—I don’t think we should do this anymore.” The half-blood croaks out.  “I don’t think _I_ should do this anymore.”

 

“But why? I told you days ago that I’m okay with this.” Seongwoo stresses, eyes narrowing sharply. “I want to help you, Jihoon. And if the only way I can is by giving you my blood, then so be it.”

 

“N-No, we have to stop.” Jihoon bites his lower lip. “I will figure out another way, but this has to stop.”

 

Seongwoo narrows hi brows. “But I’m—”

 

“Hyung.” he sighs, dumping a wet breath of air out of his burning lungs. “Please.”

 

“Is this because of Daniel?” he asks, completely ignoring his pleading eyes. “Did he threaten you?”

 

Jihoon flinches at that, barely able to hide his discomfort from showing. “No. He has nothing to do with this.” he bites out, keeping the sentence tight and cold. He can’t afford to be selfish. He can’t. “Why—Why are you helping me anyway? Aren’t you on his side?”

 

There’s silence, and he has to bit the plane of his tongue hard to stop the barrage of sentences from coming out. It’s hard to keep on going with this charade when Seongwoo is looking at him like that.

 

“Is there something you want to tell me, Jihoon?” The noble murmurs, voice soft and lulling. “Something about Daniel, perhaps?”

 

“It’s not about him.” he almost shouts but restrains himself at the last seconds. Determination is riddled deep across his bones, and though it is only a quiet resoluteness tucked away inside a boy who never made his peace, it burns him as a whole. “Why are you so adamant about this? It’s not about him, okay? Never about him so—!”

 

“Then why,” he cuts, caramel orbs gleaming under the moonlight. His hand moves toward his chin before he drags his fingers across his lips, tucking red beneath his nails. “Why are you making a face like that?”

 

Jihoon stops; words falling behind the line of his teeth.

 

_What face I’m making, really?_

 

He doesn’t know the answer to that.

 

“That’s _enough_.”

 

Jihoon freezes when Daniel’s cold, grating voice suddenly emerges from the entrance. He jumps back to put some distance between him and Seongwoo and feels his heart breaking into a run.

 

Beside him, Seongwoo grits his teeth. “Daniel—”

 

“ _Out_.” hisses the pureblood. “Get out from here, _now_.”

 

Seongwoo looks like he’s about to put up a fight, but before he could, Jihoon has already held his arms back, eyes pleading with him to let it go. And he does. The noble yanks his arm back and glares at Daniel heatedly, before he turns around and walks to the door.

 

After Seongwoo disappears from their sight, Daniel turns around to face Jihoon, his hair in disarray and brows narrowed in restrained rage. He stalks past, all eyebrows and intensity, his jaw set so stiffly it looks like he could crack teeth. Jihoon feels the warmth he has just felt pour out of him, his breathing becomes dragged and stiff.

 

“How long has this been going on?” he hisses. “I tried to keep my mouth shut because at least you’d finally got some blood to keep you healthy, but this has gone too far!”

 

Jihoon trembles in fear. “N-No, get away from me!”

 

“Are you trying to test my patience, Jihoon?” he whispers low. “Is this how you pay me back after everything I’ve done to you? I was trying to protect you!”

 

“No you don’t!” Jihoon stares back into Daniel’s eyes, which are so cold he might as well have been the embodiment of winter itself. They glow like the eyes of a feline, crimson in color. “Don’t fucking use me for your own selfishness!”

 

“…my selfishness?”

 

Daniel stills for a few moments but then begins to pick his step again. He looks majestic when he moves slowly toward the shaking half-blood. Each movement he makes is haunting and beautiful, and Jihoon’s hyper-focused mind is suddenly filled with utmost fear.

 

(The Daniel that he knows isn’t like this. Never like this.)

 

“N-No—” Jihoon tries to wrench away when Daniel suddenly grasps him, but his strength is no match for a pureblood like him. “D-Daniel let me—”

 

He gasps when something warm and slippery sweep over the junction of his collarbone and ear, wetting the skin damp with saliva. When the pureblood leans closer to nose against his neck, Jihoon pushes his him away and deals a blow to his lower back with his balled hand. Daniel catches it easily with his quick reflex and returns his attention back to Jihoon’s pale neck.

 

_No._

 

Fear crawls up his skin and Jihoon begins struggling as much as he possibly can in the pureblood’s grip, but he’s too weak compared to him. He tries pushing him, kicking him and clawing at him, but Daniel doesn’t budge. Instead, the vampire prince endures the abuse and quickly regains his balance, binding Jihoon’s body with his arm until his back is flat against his toned chest.

 

The sudden movement tears a small wound on Jihoon’s neck where Daniel’s sharp fangs prick his skin. It stings, and crimson begins to trick down to his collarbones. The scent of his fresh-spilled blood only gives Daniel’s already hungry eyes a crazed gleam. The pureblood breathes in his scent, his pupils turning into slits.

 

“D-Daniel don’t you dar—”

 

The moment Daniel’s fangs have planted themselves securely through his pale neck, Jihoon bites his lower lip to keep from moaning out loud.

 

 

 As they pierce deeper, Jihoon arches up, his lithe body tensing. His teeth show in a thin snarl, and he breathes in long, hissing gasps. His once dead eyes begin to flare brightly among the darkness, pale blue in color, and the long muscles of his back shifts as he takes hold of Daniel’s golden tresses with so much desperation—

 

_Please._

 

(With so much desire.)

 

_Stop it._

 

Jihoon can feel his temperature dropping fast. His hands are getting clammy and bullets of sweat form across his forehead and nape. In his delirium, nothing feels right anymore.

 

_I beg you, please stop it._

 

Daniel finally pulls his fangs out then runs his tongue over the heated flesh, nursing the twin holes between the junction of his neck and collarbone. Jihoon twists, swallowing a moan and arching his back. He wants to take his body away from the pureblood’s mercy, but he feels so weak to even hold his ground. The only restraints holding Jihoon in his place are his fingers between Daniel’s hair and the velvet sheets beneath him.

 

_Why?_

 

His entire body still throbs in hysteria, but the pain is long gone. Jihoon feels nauseous of his incapability to refuse Daniel’s claim on his blood. He’s too much of a coward, too weak to even think about pushing him away.

 

_Why didn’t you stop?_

 

Guilt, shame, self-loathing and remorse rage inside his small frame in a cacophony; shattering the last of his humanity with the horrible realization that he has already fallen too deep into the world of carnage and destruction. There is no way for him to resurface again, not when Daniel is still here;

 

(Still exist.)

 

_How far do you plan to break me, huh?_

 

“Jihoon….” Daniel licks his lip, the red of his blood still remained on the corner of his mouth. “I’m—”

 

“Don’t.” Jihoon stops him from speaking further, voice cracking. “Please don’t say anything. I don’t want to hate you even more, Daniel.”

 

The pureblood laughs; a bitter laugh that rattles his windpipe until his eyes burn and there is inferno blaring in the pit of his heart. “Hate is a strong word.”

 

“Yeah.” Jihoon agrees. “But it doesn’t mean that I can’t hate you. I can never hate Daniel, but you—”

 

He stares up at him. Even at nineteen, he still can't match his height at all.

 

“You’re no longer Daniel, aren’t you?”

 

“Jihoon…” His whisper sounds as if his soul – if a creature like him even has one – is escaping him. “I’m trying to fix everything, okay? So why can’t you do the same?”

 

“It’s too late for that, so let me go, Daniel.” Jihoon says bitterly. “Let me go back before I kill myself in front of you. You wouldn’t want that, right?”

 

“Don’t—” The pureblood pauses and retracts himself back. “Please don’t say such a cruel thing.”

 

_How dare you say that to me?_

 

Anger flares up inside his chest, robbing all air from his lungs. It’s such a strong emotion he is shocked by its overwhelming strength, and yet it feels somewhat encouraging. It warps his mind, turning the pure anger into hate and then into a thirst for vengeance.

 

_This is what you wanted, right?_

 

Now that he’s freed from the greed inside his bloodstreams, the resentment slams back against his head in full force. He wants to avenge his brother’s death, and he wants to make this man in front of him suffer like he did. He swore on his brother’s grave that he will avenge his death at all cost.

 

(And he will; he will make it a thousand times more excruciating for him.)

 

Jihoon’s lips stretch into an eerily sweet smile.

 

“Then let me go.” he hisses firmly. “Let me go, and I’ll live. Keep me here, and I’ll make sure that you will watch me die.”

 

A pause. He sees the pureblood hold his breath. Jihoon hides a smirk.

 

_This is only the beginning, my love._

 

“So,” Jihoon tilts his head to a side, his smile returning in full force. “Which one do you choose, Kang Daniel?”

 

* * *

_he finds warmth and refuses to let go._

* * *

}{

 

“Why did you let him go, Daniel?”

 

“I don’t know.” he murmurs into the fold of his hands. His still-shaking frame begins to rock back and forth, trembling knees drawn against his chest. “I tried to stop him. I really tried to b-but I—fuck it!”

 

Dongho watches him, eyes hooded and sad but his smile is still condescending as ever. He knows that the older hates this as much as he does, but a little part of him can’t help but blame him for everything.

 

(If only Dongho hadn’t brought him to that hill twenty years ago. If only Dongho hadn’t introduced the two of them. If only they had never met in the first place. If only he didn’t fall in love with Jihoon. If only—)

 

_If only._

 

“Just—why?” he croaks out, eyes empty. “Why it has to be like this?”

 

“I don’t know.” he snaps his head to his right. Dongho locks his vision with his crimson orbs. Something akin to regret gleams inside those eyes, something he can’t describe perfectly, but despite that he’s still smiling. “ _You_ tell me, Daniel. It’s in your hands, after all.”

 

“W-Why did you—” the words come out on a stutter. Daniel can’t really make sense of anything, so he settles on the raw confusion at the tip of his tongue. “Why did you say that?”

 

“Because it’s the truth?” he hums. “Because he _needs_ to know the truth?”

 

“About what? About why I killed his brother?” he whispers, giving out a non-humorous chuckle. “About how we planned this… thing for years and yet tell him nothing?”

 

“I don’t understand what are you implying, Daniel.” he smiles; still the beautiful, plastic one. “I thought we’ve established this since a long time ago.”

 

His blood runs cold.

 

“Established… what?”

 

Dongho’s smile widens.

 

“That it should have been Park Jihoon who died ten years ago.” He says. “The snowball effect, remember? This has been going far too long, and as you can see everything has gone spiraling out of control. Do do you know why?”

 

Daniel doesn’t know how he does it. How could he say such a cruel thing, when a smile is always present in his mouth?

 

“It’s because you’re so selfish, my dear brother. Because you refused to let him die.” A smile stretches painfully across his pale face. “It’s all because of _you_.”

 

Daniel’s heart stops beating at that. He thinks he hears something breaking.

 

“Because of me, huh?” he laughs mirthlessly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

 

After that sentence uttered, Daniel forces his wobbly legs to move, leaving him behind while pain consumes his whole being. The only thing he doesn’t realize is Dongho watching him from afar, his plastic smile has melted into a bittersweet one.

 

* * *

_inside his palms, there is a blue fire,_  
inside his chest, there is a beating heart.

* * *

}{

 

Jihoon's step suddenly falters, jarring against the sodden ground. The stone pavement leading down to the association is old and dwindling, but he still knows the path and remembers each chipped crevice of the waning foothold. Sighing, he continues walking. Before he realizes it, he has arrived in front of a massive cherry wood door. A familiar door he associates with late nights wasting away in the dungeon, mastering yet another manner of killing. A familiar door he associates with blood and carnage. A familiar door he associates with childhood gone wrong.

 

But he also associates the door with warmth and long-lost home, so he takes a calming breath and prepares his heart for what to come.

 

The half-blood breathes in, then out. The key in his pocket feels so heavy. Without hesitating, he jams the iron right into the keyhole waits for a few seconds until he hears a faint click. Jihoon pushes it slowly, wincing at the screeching noise which comes from its rusty latch.

 

Jihoon steps inside the long corridor, and suddenly blue fire bursts inside the chandeliers lining against the brick wall. He snuffs the fire with jerky, ruthless motions of fingers and hands, smiling when it curls prettily around his ivory skin. For each blooming fire, Jihoon's smile becomes less haunting. He is still mercifully quiet though, as though he knows well what is to come, and maybe he does.

 

But maybe he doesn’t.

 

“Jihoon… hyung?”

 

A familiar voice snaps him back into reality. Jihoon stills his breath when he sees a pair of amber eyes shining brightly among the sapphire glow of his dwindling fire.

 

It’s Guanlin.

 

Jihoon locks their eyes together, dread crawling in the pit of his stomach. The blue fire across his arms melts into thin air, leaving warmth tickling against his bare skin.

 

“Jihoon-hyung!” The half-blood blinks when he’s suddenly engulfed in a tight hug, his face suddenly stuffed with the hard surface of Guanlin’s chest. “I thought—I t-thought that—”

 

Jihoon sighs into his clothed chest; guilt tugging at his heartstrings at the slight tremble in his voice. He pulls back and cups Guanlin face gently. “Hey, calm down. I’m fine, Guanlin-ah. I’m home.”

 

“H-Hyung, wait—” But instead of calming down, the young hunter becomes even more panicked. “Your eyes—what – just what happened? Why did your eyes—?”

 

Jihoon freezes for a moment or two. “They have changed already?” he sighs, his pupils flickering into ice blue. “I guess that’s to be expected.”

 

“You—” Guanlin gulps down a bile down his throat. “You drank from him?”

 

A pause, then;

 

“Yeah, I did.” says Jihoon blankly.

 

“Then your power is back?” he asks. “That’s why those blue fire—?”

 

Jihoon doesn’t answer him, but his smile is enough to elicit a shocked gasp from the hunter’s mouth. “Hyung… you aren’t thinking what I’m thinking right?”

 

“I don’t know what are you talking about, Guanlin-ah.” He smiles at him, a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “There’s no reason for me to wait anymore, after all. I’ve got my power back, and nothing will stop me this time.”

 

“Hyung…” The younger holds his arms tight as if he’s afraid of letting go. “Don’t do it, please. Just—can’t we just forget about everything and move on? It’s been ten years, hyung. You have to let it go. You have to—please.”

 

“How could I, Guanlin-ah?” Jihoon laughs at him. “How could I when the only thing that keeps me going forward is to kill him?”

 

“Jihoon-hyung—please. Don’t you see him? His eyes are dark red!” His grip on his arms tightens. “He’s too strong for you! Do you know how bad his reputation inside our community? You could die!”

 

“Then let me die.”

 

Silence.

 

“Hyung—”

 

Jihoon stands up and pries Guanlin’s hands away from his arms. His smile is stale and a little rough around the edges, but his gaze is blank; empty.

 

“I’ve always wanted death, anyway.”

 

Daniel’s cooling blood against the wall of his mouth is still wet, an obscenely sweet taste at the plane of his tongue. He should have felt repulsed, but instead, his blood is bursting out with life. Power surges through his veins like electricity, and Jihoon feels so alive; so, _so_ alive.

 

(But he doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like the feeling at all.)

 

“PARK JIHOON!”

 

“Oomph!” Jihoon blinks when he’s suddenly pushed to someone’s chest. A pair of lanky arms circling themselves around his body. “Thank god, you’re alright. I thought—I t-thought that…”

 

Stilling into stone, Jihoon lets the older man squeeze him tight. “Minki-hyung…”

 

The grip on his body tightens, and then, before he can say something, another pair of arms has laced themselves over their body. Jihoon blinks at the sudden warmth.

 

“Woojinie… Jinyoung-ah.” He blinks again when someone takes a hold of his back, mouth suddenly dry. “What are you…”

 

“Stupid, you’re so stupid Park Jihoon!” Woojin buries his face in the crook of his neck. There is a wet patch forming against his skin. “Fuck, you’re _alive._ Oh god you’re—y-you…”

 

“Woojin-ah?” blinking up at him, Jihoon raises his hand to touch Woojin’s sunken face. Almost immediately he recoils back when the tips of his fingers burn against the skin beneath his eyes. “Why are you crying?”

 

The younger doesn’t answer him, his tears are still falling. The grip around his body tightens that he has almost lost his breath for a moment. Jihoon stills his beating heart and tries to focus on the warmth against his raw skin, mind suddenly in chaos.

 

_Why you look so sad?_

 

“Jihoon.”

 

The half-blood freezes when a voice he knows so well echoes from behind them. Then suddenly he can’t breathe. The feeling inside his chest suffocates him, wrecking his scattered heart, tearing it part by part.

 

Because he knows that voice. He knows it so well.

 

“Jonghyun-hyung…”

 

Jihoon whispers quietly after his shock vaporized into thin air. He lowers his gaze, eyes curtained by coal veil, refusing to look at the hunter right in the eye.

 

"You are back." He hears him whisper. “You’re _back_.”

 

There is a violent stab inside his chest; a throbbing, open wound. Jihoon doesn’t know what to make of that queer remorse reflected inside his orbs, but he supposes that all this time while waiting for him to come back, he had been so troubled, so distressed.

 

And maybe, he had remembered a distant memory of a certain someone in the past whose face eerily resembles his own. Whose blood flows within him. Whose smile mirrors his bittersweet one.

 

(Maybe, he had remembered a person he'd loved – still loves – and maybe, he had remembered a love he’d had buried deep inside his heart.)

 

Jihoon looks so much like him, doesn't he?

 

A spitting image of Minhyun, that he is.

 

“Hyung…”

 

So Jihoon smiles; he smiles because that’s the only thing that he knows, he smiles because if he doesn’t, he will cry instead.

 

_I’m sorry._

 

“I’m back...”

 

The words roll off his tongue smoothly like oil on water. But this time, Jihoon doesn’t bother to hold his tears anymore when Jonghyun comes barreling and sends them falling into the ground in a pile of limbs and tears.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Jihoon? What are you doing here?”

 

He snaps out from his thoughts when Jonghyun suddenly appears on his peripheral vision. “Hyung…”

 

“You should rest, remember rule five?” The hunter shakes his head, exasperation marking the corner of his eyes. “Please think about your health a little more. I don’t want you to drop dead just because you can’t restrain yourself, okay?”

 

“Yeah, I’m—sorry. Just sorry.” he whispers. “I can’t sleep.”

 

Jonghyun sighs at that, “You should have told me. Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

 

“No—” he stops him before he can stand up. “I—Can I ask you something?”

 

“Hm?” he smiles softly at him, ruffling his head. “Go ahead, Jihoonie.”

 

“How did it feel like when you lost Minhyun-hyung?”

 

Silence comes between them. Jihoon bites his bottom lip in worry and watches how Jonghyun’s face morphs into something indescribable; something foreign.

 

“Truthfully, I don’t think I can put it into words, Jihoon.” Jonghyun begins with a small smile. “The pain that I was feeling back then was too intense, too suffocating. I’m not sure if there’s a word to describe it.”

 

“Then why,” he pauses. “Why did you bear it if it was that painful?”

 

“Why did you?” Jonghyun asks back, his smile turns bitter. “Why did you keep on going when it was that painful?”

 

“I—” Jihoon stops to collect his mind, “I don’t know…”

 

“Pain is temporary, I think. When I thought that it would never end, it did. And it always does.” Jonghyun takes his hand into his and laces their fingers together. “Yes, it will hurt like hell. Yes, it will feel as though it's never going to. But, believe me that it will end eventually. There will be a day when you will look back on your worst pain and it will be a memory.”

 

His words plummet right into his heart. Jihoon balls his palms into a fist, nails gouging deep into his flesh and leave crescents all over the skin.

 

_No, you’re wrong hyung._

 

“You know that I’ll support you no matter what you choose, Jihoon?” Jonghyun suddenly says, a bittersweet smile weaving itself to his lips. “You’re Minhyun’s brother, but you’re mine too. You’re my little brother. My cute puppy. That dongsaeng I want to protect at all cost that’s why,” he pauses. “That’s why, I will do anything in my power to help you.”

 

Jihoon’s heart stops when he catches his dark eyes on him. Still no tears, but he can imagine those crystal drops fall across his face in rivulets five seconds from now. “Jonghyun-hyung…”

 

“What do you want to do, Jihoon-ah?” Jonghyun asks him, his grip around his fingers tightens. “Tell me.”

 

“I want to kill him.”

 

Jihoon pauses.

 

“I want to kill Kang Daniel with my own hands. I want to make him feel all the pain he’d caused me.” He pauses, amber eyes turning into a pair of glaring blues. “I want to make him _suffer_.”

 

Jonghyun sighs. “Are you sure with your choice?”

 

“Yes.” He says without hesitation. “I want to do it, _alone_.”

 

“Then I’ll let you go, Jihoon.” The older whispers softly. “I will not stop you, but remember that if you change your mind, I’ll be here. We’ll still be here, waiting for you.”

 

Jihoon grabs Jonghyun’s hand when he is about to let go. He could have sworn that he saw disappointment and hurt swimming inside his eyes. But Jihoon has made his choice, and nothing will stop him from avenging his dead brother.

 

“I know, hyung.” he whispers, gripping his much larger hands tight. “Thank you for everything, I love you so much.”

 

Jonghyun smiles at him; a smile that is so sad, and also beautiful at the same time.

 

“I love you more, you silly kid.” He pulls him inside an embrace. “Please don’t die, alright? No matter what, you have to come back. _You have to._ ”

 

“No promises, hyung.” Jihoon murmurs against his chest, trying so hard to not burst into tears. “But I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

* * *

_the tainted blood of sinners bathes him in red,  
just like the damned eyes behind his door._

* * *

}{

 

Jihoon spent the past week with his teammates, bidding farewells they don’t recognize and pours his entire heart into making them smile.

 

He jokes around with Samuel a lot and creates a new habit of spending his morning running laps with Woojin. Sometimes after that, he joins Jinyoung and Hyungseop in the garden; taking care of the plants that they grew in place of lives they’ve taken.

 

When the sun goes down below the horizon, he sits together with Jonghyun and Minki and begins to think about the old times. He settles himself between them and tells them how grateful he’s for everything they have done and how lucky he is to ever know such a wonderful person like them.

 

(Those were the people who managed to leave a dent over his sadness and pulled him away once more above the ground. The first time Jihoon saw them, he knew that it’s impossible for him to stay away and pretend they’re nothing to him.)

 

Even though there is a chance that he would never see them again, Jihoon doesn’t say anything besides goodbye, and he thinks perhaps they know, but choose to say nothing.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Hyung,”

 

He opens his eyes to find Guanlin looming after him, his gaze somber and lips quivering as if he’s going to cry.

 

“Hey, Guanlin-ah.” he smiles. “Why are you here instead of sleeping, huh?”

 

Jihoon blinks when Guanlin suddenly grips both his hands tight until he couldn’t feel his fingers. The sadness inside his eyes is rushing into him like storm, and Jihoon notices how heartbroken he looks when he sees him.

 

“C-Can I sleep with you?” he asks, voice small and timid. “Just for tonight.”

 

Jihoon sighs, pressing his lips into Guanlin forehead.

 

“Just for tonight.” he agrees.

 

When midnight falls and Guanlin is still, Jihoon slips out from under his arms, bitter apologizes weaving out from his lips without a sound.

 

_Thank you for everything._

 

Jihoon takes one last look behind before he disappears into nothing.

 

_Aeternum vale, fraters._

 

* * *

_there_ _is a maze unraveling before him,  
and he is lost._

* * *

}{

 

It’s not like there is a chance for them to be together again.

 

(No, nothing could ever repair whatever had broken between them.)

 

If Daniel thinks about it again, their fallout was not because of the fact that he killed Hwang Minhyun. Not even because he’d tricked him into doing something he hated with every fiber of his being. It doesn’t work like that, not even close.

 

(The image of Jihoon crying is forever embedded in his memories. Daniel feels like the heart beneath his skin is about to shatter into a million pieces; like he is a brick wall about to crumble, like he is about to collapse on himself and fall into the harsh ground.)

 

It’s all because Daniel left him ten years ago. It’s the catalyst, the turning point of every pain and hardship which weighing themselves over their shoulder for the past years. He should have stayed. Should have explained everything to him. Should have been brave enough to tell him the truth, but he didn’t.

 

_Why?_

 

Daniel smiles.

 

_Because I was afraid._

 

And he still is. Because everything is still a blur. A dozen of carefully delineated causes that he has no control of. It’s because everything feels impenetrably, incurably, neverendingly awful. It feels like there are no bright spots and no way out.

 

(But he will find a way; for both his sake and Jihoon’s, Daniel swears that he will find a way for them to be happy again.)

 

“It’s time, my lord.” A voice behind him says. “The others are waiting.”

 

Breathing out, Daniel begins to walk, a bucket full of magnolias clenched tight between his fingers. He has made his mind, and nothing will stop him.

 

(Nothing.)

 

_I will protect you, Jihoon. Even if you hate me, even if it’s getting harder, I will make sure that you’re safe._

 

(Because in his version of the story, Jihoon is supposed to be the victim. He is the resounding tragedy; the unfortunate result of everything they’d set in motion. Not Hwang Minhyun. And certainly, not Kang Daniel.)

 

And he will keep it that way forever.

 

* * *

_so_ _he drinks the poison from a cup of gold,  
and pulls the sword of silver._

* * *

}{

 

He takes a calming breath, the freezing air hurting the wall of his windpipe. The night is blinding. There’s only pure, taintless black and nothing seems safe for him.

 

_Where should I go now?_

 

Jihoon looks up when something cold touches the tip of his nose as if responding to his muted question.

 

_Ah, it’s snowing again._

 

He suddenly remembers how Jonghyun would brew his favorite chamomile tea and sit beside him at a time like this. How Minki would pull his bright salmon blanket and knitted sweater over them. How Jinyoung and Guanlin would drape themselves all over him, seeking warmth. How Hyungseop, Woojin, and Samuel would roll across the floor haphazardly, trying to get as much contact with the heater underneath while the rest of them laughing at the ridiculous picture.

 

_No, stop thinking about them, you idiot!_

 

The memory brings back the longing inside his heart. So Jihoon lets his resolution erase every touch, every sound, every color until his mindscape is nothing but a blank, empty space. In a world as broken as this, Jihoon knows that there is no way for him to go back anymore.

 

_This is my last chance, huh?_

 

Jihoon sighs, pale mist coating his lips blue. He’s out from the border now, slipping from that secret underground passage by the north gate which he'd discovered ages ago by accident. The dry, barren land which crusted into the pavement crunches beneath the soles of his boots as he moves through the dark tunnel with careful steps.

 

When he’s about to turn right, a muffled bang at the end of the junction behind him reaches his ears. It’s like a small hard object has been dropped and dragged along the concrete wall and floor. Jihoon turns his attention toward the frighteningly quiet sound, eyes and body high in alert.

 

Jihoon’s about to cower against the wall when something grabs his ankle and begins dragging him across the tunnel with incredible speed.

 

_What the fu—_

 

“Heol, it’s really you.” A deep, rattling voice startles Jihoon, a dark shadow materializing right in front of his eyes. “Looks like Dongho-hyung wasn’t kidding.”

 

Anxiety and fear begin to consume him when Jihoon catches a pair of crimson eyes staring back at him. The hunter stills his heart, willing his own eyes to not flicker into life. A pressuring sensation dwells in his chest when the creature graces him with a condescending smile.

 

“Hello, kitten.” he purrs. “Kim Donghan at your service.”

 

Then, it’s all black.

 

* * *

_and screams;  
all hail to the kingdom of death._ 

* * *

 tbc _—_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh. I’m back with chapter two? Anybody there?????
> 
> *krik krik* Uh-oh… no one is here? *sniffs* Okay… I understand… *weeps*
> 
> I’m really, really soooooorrry. I didn’t mean to put off this story for long but as you know, I’m very busy these days because of university. Just saying, I’m an architecture student, a part-time tutor, and a freelance artist, so you should prepare yourself for later updates… /cries in korean/
> 
> Soo, this is chapter 2! Some of the mysteries are unraveling themselves but I know that there’s still so much to explain. But don’t worry, we’re getting there~ Just be patient and wait for the next update, okay? :) Btw, I'm back in my angst dungeon again, but I dunno if I've done it justice, because nielwink fluffiness has infected me with, well, fluffiness.
> 
> Btw, I just want to clarify about their ages in this timeline. Vampire mates will stop aging (a.k.a maturing) once they feed on each other and pledge their lives to their bond. Jihoon was nineteen and Daniel was twenty-four when they reached maturity, so that’s why even though it’s been ten years since their last meeting, Jihoon is still in his nineteen years old body. I won’t go further than this because I’m afraid I will spoil something lmao. 
> 
> Thank you soooo much for the comments/kudos/bookmarks ILYSM YOU’RE THE BEST! >3 See ya in the next chapter~ ^^
> 
> P.s: The sketch is so messy I know xd. But well, I guess drawing fanarts of my own fic is becoming some kind of disease now xd.  
> P.s.s: Sorry for any (read: many) grammatical errors in this story! I wrote this with my soul half gone xd. I’ll try better to fix it next time.  
> P.s.s.s: It’s okay to comment in your mother’s language~ I understand English (obviously), Bahasa (my mother’s language), and lil bit of Japanese. But like I said, the other languages are fine~ Gotrans exists after all >3


	3. love begets love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Because I promised that I will always protect you, Jihoon.”
> 
> The breath across his skin is warm and inviting, but instead of happiness that he feels, there’s a throbbing pain blooming inside his chest when Daniel whispers those words like a prayer.
> 
> “And I will keep it to my grave, so please, please stay with me, okay?”

The sun was almost gone, only a speck of marigold was left spread across the horizon. Jonghyun opened the door to the balcony and find him standing behind the railing, eyes staring off the distance.

 

"Minhyun?" he called softly. "What are you doing?"

 

The vampire didn't answer him, and instead, he motioned him to come closer. With even steps, Jonghyun began to walk towards him, all the while counting the black, scattering marks along Minhyun's spine. If there were something that he despised the most in this world, then it would be those marks; those curse upon his beloved's skin.

 

"Have you taken your medicines?" Jonghyun asked as soon as he arrived. A laugh tore itself from Minhyun's mouth. "Yha, why are you laughing? I'm serious!"

 

"You're so cute, Jonghyunie," Minhyun said, raising his hand to ruffle Jonghyun's head into a mess. "Don't worry too much, alright?"

 

Jonghyun pursed his lips. "I don't think you should take them anymore."

 

"Huh?" The vampire tilted his head, "Why shouldn't I?"

 

"I just…" he paused. "I just have a bad feeling. I don't trust him. For all we know he's trying to get you killed instead of curing you."

 

"Oh, Jonghyun-ah." Minhyun shook his head fondly. "Don't be like this, alright? Dongho is my best friend. I trust him."

 

"No. I _don't_ trust him." Jonghyun said coldly. "He's a pureblood, Minhyun. How could you trust him that easily?"

 

Minhyun frowned. "But Donhgo—"

 

"Dongho isn't trustworthy, alright? Jonghyun hissed. "Are you stupid? The pills he gave you aren't working! If possible, they are making you worse. I don't like it... you look bad, Minhyun. Real bad."

 

Minhyun eyes softened. He pulled Jonghyun into his chest and kissed the top of his head. "Don't wear such a face, Jongie. I'll be okay."

 

"You better be," Jonghyun mumbled into his chest. "I don't want to be the one who has to face Jihoon's tears. You know how much I hate them."

 

There was a slight pause before he felt Minhyun pulling him closer.

 

"I hate them too." Minhyun murmured into his hair. "And I'm trying, Jonghyun—I'm trying so hard right now. But if I don't make it, I want you to protect him in my place."

 

"Don't say that, stupid," Jonghyun mumbled into his chest, trying so hard to hold his tears. "You're going to be fine."

 

Minhyun hummed softly, and even though it wasn't an answer that he wanted, Jonghyun felt a little bit lighter.

 

"I love you, Jonghyunie." Minhyun suddenly whispered. "And I will always love you. Never forget that, alright?"

 

"I love you too," Jonghyun croaked out, trying so hard to keep the tears at bay. "I love you so much, Minhyun. That's why—"

 

Jonghyun buried his head into Minhyun's neck and broke into tears.

 

"Don't you dare to die, you hear me?" 

 

* * *

—[ **a e t e r n u m   v a l e** ]—

}{

{ we do not fear death, but we thought of death, }  
_remember that i was what you are, and you will be what i am._

_because we are supernovas; 01_  
「kang **daniel/** park **jihoon** ; vampire **au** 」

}{

* * *

c h a p t e r   t h r e e  
「 _love begets love_ 」 

* * *

}{

 

Donghan shoves his hands into his pocket, turning slightly to grace Jihoon a half-smile which appears more like a smirk. "So, what were you doing outside the border? And with such a… _wonderful_ attire as well. Having a night of your life aren't you, kitten?"

 

If Jihoon ever did hear the insult, he never shows anything besides a slight twitch of his eye. Instead, he rubs the chain encircling his wrist, trying so hard to get some warmth from his cold skin. His hands are bound together by a tightrope, every movement and pull marking a red line along the knot.

 

"Ah, you're really a rude one." Donghan whistles low, a pair of ruby eyes glinting under the moonlight. "First time ever a human dare to ignore me."

 

At that, Jihoon works out a snort. His lips turn upside down into a displeased frown. "You're wrong though. I'm not a human—not a full one, at least."

 

"Nah, that's true. You're a halfling, aren't you?" he nods his head, grinning widely. “Speaking of that, what kind of pureblood is keeping you in line? How long do you think before the thirst eats through your consciousness?"

 

Jihoon purses his lips tight. "Why do you care? It's not like my wellbeing is your responsibility anyway."

 

"Ah, ah~ That's where you went wrong, kitten," he grunts. "You're my responsibility now, you know why?"

 

"Because the council wants me?" challenges Jihoon, raising his eyebrow. There isn't an ounce of fear stapled behind his orbs.

 

Donghan smiles. An eerily bright smile.

 

"No," he shakes his head. "Because Kang Dongho wants you."

 

Jihoon's eyes widen.

 

_Daniel's brother?_

 

"Why…?"

 

"I don't know. He said something about a familiar face and unfinished experiment?" he shrugs. "I'm just following my order, honestly."

 

"You have a fucking council," Jihoon says incredulously. "Shouldn't you, I don't know, follow their order instead?"

 

"The council may rule Korea, but it doesn't mean they have a full control of me." he winks conspiratorially. "It's all about blood and bones, you know? Blood thicker than water and all that clichés."

 

"Blood you say?" Jihoon snorts, finding the whole thing bitterly hilarious. Since when blood strings people together when there's no power involved? "I'm sure you just don't want to get killed, right, Mr. vampire?"

 

Ruby eyes flash dangerously.

 

"You dare to tempt me, kitten?" he threatens. "You should know your place."

 

"My place is not a concern. I'm not beneath beings like you." he spits out.

 

"I'm warning you." he hisses.

 

"I don't care," Jihoon smirks. "What can you do anyway? Kill me?"

 

Donghan glares at him through his dark bangs, crimson eyes gleaming brightly with anger and—and is that excitement he sees inside his orbs?

 

"You remind me so much of him," Donghan smirks. "I'm waiting for you to join our rank soon, kitten."

 

Jihoon can't help but look strangely at him. "…what do you mean?"

 

"Hwang Minhyun; ring any bells?"

 

Jihoon freezes.

 

"Aren't you curious about what kind of future is waiting for you?" Donghan says, cocking his head to a side. "What your judgment will be?"

 

"No. I don't know." Jihoon hisses and begins to glare at the smirking vampire. "Nor I care. Does it matter?"

 

"Yes, it is," his smirk grows wider. "Don't you want to live a little longer, kitten?"

 

Jihoon stops at that.

 

"…live?"

 

_Living huh?_

 

"Yes, live. You—"

 

(That word conjures memories he doesn't want to remember.)

 

"—want to keep on living, right?"

 

Jihoon doesn't know why, but suddenly there is a pungent smell of blood in the air. He can smell it so clearly; can taste it rolling across his tongue. Suddenly he can touch the damp soil beneath every tap of his foot and taste melting snow across his tongue. The shadow of falling tears, and the sounds of glass breaking; they ghost over his mind like a long-lost lover.

 

Jihoon snorts. "What a joke."

 

(It feels whimsical altogether.)

 

"Excuse me?"

 

A bitter smile worked its way among Jihoon's lips, tearing through his walls and resolution alike and he watches it crumble down into the ground. It's true, though. Jihoon hasn't understood for a long time about why he's living.

 

Because he lives, he is alive.

 

And that's it.

 

(That's all.)

 

_Will you miss me when I'm gone, Daniel?_

 

"I don't care what will happen to me. Even if you kill me… even if I die, no one will feel sad. So it's okay. I like death better than this cruel world anyway."

 

_I hope you don't._

 

* * *

_fear_

* * *

 }{

 

Dongho sighs when he sees his brother march his way into his room. Daniel can't help the snarl, nor he can keep his face from showing his utmost anger when his eyes caught the bind across Jihoon's wrists. His brother has always been that expressive, and his mate has always brought out the worst in him.

 

"What the fuck—" Daniel growls. "Why are you binding him like that?!"

 

"It's procedure." On the couch beside him, Donghan shrugs. Dongho wants to applaud his bravery for standing up to Daniel's wrath but decides to hold himself. "Besides, he's fine with it. The little kitten held no protest whatsoever when I put that rope against his pretty wrists."

 

"Don't call him that." If it's possible, Daniel gets even angrier. His eyes are now a shade of crimson, marking his utmost disdain for the noble vampire. "Let him go before I make you."

 

Dongho smiles bitterly. Seeing Daniel, with that tousled blond hair and burning crimson orbs makes him remember his past self. Shorter, snarkier, and full of secret; he had been like that too, once upon the time.

 

"Stop it, Daniel." He chooses to interrupt their banter at that moment, "And you Donghan, you're dismissed."

 

His subordinate looks like he's about to say something, but holds himself in time before he disappears into thin air.

 

"I said," Dongho snaps back when another growl escapes Daniel's lips. "Let him go."

 

"Stop your childish action, Daniel." Dongho sighs, raking a hand through his messy charcoal hair, mussing it up in frustration. "Jihoon is perfectly fine. There's no reason for you to overreact."

 

"He's not fine!" he hisses again. "I told you to not mess with him anymore!"

 

"Are you threatening me, Daniel?" he asks.

 

"Yes." His brother spats out those words like poison. "Now let him go!"

 

Dongho narrows his eyes at him, crimson irises gleaming dangerously. "Do not disrespect me, Euigeon."

 

"Fuck you!" Daniel screams. "If you dare to call me by that name again I will—"

 

"You'll what? Kill me?" he snorts. "Not the first time I heard that, and look where people like you ended up to."

 

"What the fu—You—"

 

"Daniel!" At that moment Seongwoo chooses to emerge from the door. He runs towards Daniel and pulls him back from launching himself on the older pureblood. "Don't be stupid! You're just digging your own grave!"

 

"What the fuck Seongwoo?!" he snarls again, this time louder. His eyes flickering red in a split of second before they melt back into amber. "Let me go! I'll—!"

 

"Remember our priority." Seongwoo hisses into his ears. "Do you want to get him killed? If not then keep your mouth shut!"

With that threat, Daniel clamps his mouth tight, face paling into translucent.

 

"Fine." The young pureblood says through gritted teeth. "Do whatever you want, but if you dare to touch him I'll—"

 

_"Kang Daniel!"_

 

"—Ugh, fuck." he rakes a hand through his hair. "Just get over with it."

 

"Nice to see you finally regain whatever left of that little brain of yours." Dongho chuckles. "It won't take long, little brother. So let's compromise, alright? It's a win-win situation for both of us, believe me."

 

Daniel clenches his fist. "Fine. What do you have in mind?"

 

* * *

_of_

* * *

 }{

 

Jihoon flutters his eyes open and sees a pair of amber irises staring back at him. He blinks to clear his sight. A man is sitting on a chair a few feet from him.

 

_You..._

 

Jihoon knows that face, still remembers it so well; and his presence alone makes him sick in the stomach. Jihoon forces himself to look away but then pauses when he realizes how unfamiliar the entire room is.

 

_What is this place?_

Tendrils of light extend from behind the massive shades on the window, but none penetrates far enough to reach the bed where he's laying on. The entire unfamiliar room is quiet, save for the soft murmur of the gentle brush of wind against the window pane. Blinking a few times to adjust his vision, Jihoon pulls himself up to sit on the edge of the bed.

 

"Why," Jihoon pauses. "Why am I here?"

 

The man snorts at his forwardness. "No hello for me, Jihoon? It's been a long time since we last met, after all."

 

_"I said,"_ he hisses between gritted teeth, glaring heatedly. "Why am I here?"

 

"It's Haven." Dongho walks towards him slowly. "The name of this place is Haven. This is our hideout—the safest place you can find here in South Korea. And from now on, you'll be living here, Park Jihoon."

 

"I'm not a prisoner!" Jihoon spats. "Don't fucking treat me like one!"

 

"You're not a prisoner, Jihoon," Dongho agrees. "In fact, you're going to do a little favor for me."

 

Jihoon glares at him in anger. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

 

"A mission, Jihoon," repeats Dongho. "I have a mission for you."

 

"Why I should work for you?" he asks incredulously. "You're not my fucking boss."

 

Laughter echoes, cold and cruel. Jihoon looks at him and feels dread crawling over his skin.

 

"Because you are Minhyun replacement," Dongho says, chuckling lightly. "It's as simple as that."

 

"What," Jihoon pauses. "What do you mean?"

 

"Minhyun was one of my trusted subordinates before he died," Dongho says. "And you, his brother, will replace him for the time being. All you need to do is—"

 

Dongho moves his head closer and whispers in his ear.

 

_What?_

 

"Fuck you." Jihoon hisses as soon as Dongho finished his sentence. "Like hell I would ever do something like that!"

 

The pureblood cocks his head at him. "So you aren't going to do it?"

 

Jihoon answers him with a glare.

 

"Are you sure that you're not going to change your mind?" Dongho raises his brow. "Huh, it means that I have to ask someone else to do the job. You wouldn't mind if they—"

 

Dongho leans closer and whispers something into his ear, eyes gleaming bright red. His voice is too soft and almost inaudible, but Jihoon's sensitive ears can catch every single of his word perfectly.

 

_No._

Abruptly, before Jihoon can stop himself, tears well up in his eyes and wet his lashes, and then they begin rolling down his cheeks while exhaustion comes over him. The ache in his chest awakes, and he wants to pull his arms free to put them around himself. But the rope is too strong for him to free his hands, and Jihoon can do nothing but stay in the vulnerable state right in front of the other.

 

For whatever reason, Jihoon lowers his gaze and whimpers.

 

(If he has a weakness, then it would be his teammates, and it seems like Dongho knows that perfectly.)

 

"I'll—I'll do it." The half-blood croaks out. "I'll do it, so don't you fucking dare to lay a hand on them."

 

"Good." Dongho claps his hands while smiling. "You have three days to complete your mission. And I'd sealed your power with my strongest signum, so you better not thinking about running away."

 

Jihoon clenches his teeth and glares at him through his tears. In all honesty, he wants to just kill Dongho and get over it, but he knows that it's impossible for him to even leave a scratch upon his robes. The pureblood has a hundred years worth of experience, and Jihoon would be damned if he tries to touch him.

 

"Ah, one more thing,"

 

Snapping back into reality, Jihoon turns his full attention into Dongho. A smile is still present on his face, but his eyes don't reach his smile.

 

"It's nice to see you again, little Jihoonie."

 

* * *

_death_

* * *

}{

 

_"Kang Daniel."_

 

Jihoon hisses under his breath, anger marking the line of his mouth.

 

"Why is he here?"

 

Dongho shrugs. "He insisted on tagging along. I've tried to persuade him, but he wouldn't budge."

 

"What? You told me that this is my mission!" Jihoon whirls around to glare at Dongho. "So why he has to come with me?!"

 

"Ask him," Dongho shrugs his shoulders carelessly. "I don't care whether you go alone or with him, just leave before midnight. The association is quite far from here."

 

After that uttered, Dongho leaves them alone, and the room falls into silence as they stare at each other. Jihoon is the first who looks away, thinking that he's going to lose his cool sooner or later if he continues. He doesn't like the look in Daniel's eyes. It's haunting; chilling him right to the bones—but it's also familiar. Jihoon is about to open his mouth and tell him off, but Daniel has beaten him first.

 

"I want you to take me with you."

 

Jihoon turns around and catches his eyes which are filled with determination. Honestly, Jihoon doesn't know what's going on in his mind. This is his mission and his alone; bringing Daniel with him will be proven a distraction. Jihoon's clinging on a thread right now, and he won't risk bringing the pureblood with him.

 

_"No."_ he spits out. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

 

Daniel snarls, eyes suddenly bleed red.

 

"Take me with you." he hisses low, but it sounds more like an order in his ears.

 

"No," Jihoon says again, watching as Daniel's eyes turn darker from their previous blood red. _"I won't."_

 

**_Prang!_ **

 

Jihoon flinches when the chandeliers lining up the wall burst simultaneously, leaving behind a flicker of blue fire. He stares at the damaged glass with wide, stunned eyes.

 

_Did I just—did I just lose control?_

 

The air within the room suddenly becomes so tense that it feels harder to breathe. No, there is no way that Jihoon'd lost control of his blue fire when Dongho's seal is still branded across his wrist. His eyes flicker to Daniel's seething form.

 

_Could it be—_

 

Jihoon shakes his head.

 

No, it couldn't be.

 

The half-blood is about to take his leave, but Daniel has the door locked as soon as he realizes his intention. He then begins to walk towards him with fast steps until Jihoon's backed against the wall, his face only a breath away from the younger's.

 

"Jihoon," Daniel says threateningly. "Take me with you."

 

"I said no," Jihoon spits back. "I don't trust you."

 

"Dammit, Jihoon!" Daniel punches the wall beside him, and the previously commanding look on his face has been replaced by a wild flicker in his eyes. "Just let me come with you!"

 

"How many times I should say, huh?" Jihoon snaps, eyes gleaming bright among the darkness. "I _don't_ fucking trust you. So please kindly get lost from my face!"

 

If possible, the wild flicker in his eyes builds up, causing Jihoon to look away for a second. "Then I have no choice but to force you."

 

Jihoon freezes at the threat for a second or two before he lets out a mocking laugh. "You can't force me."

 

"I can and I will," Daniel whispers dangerously. "Don't test my patience, Jihoon. You think that I wouldn't hurt you, but you don't know what horrible things I can do with those who defy me."

 

"Then fucking do it," Jihoon hisses. "Be my guest."

 

Daniel stares at him solemnly. "You'll regret that, Jihoon."

 

Without an ounce of fear, Jihoon stares back at him, lips curling into a sinister smile. "Look at you threatening me like this. In the end, you're no different from your brother, Kang Daniel."

 

It looks like Daniel didn't expect that sentence to come out from his mouth. The pureblood stares at him for a long while, but then, he does something unexpected which leaves Jihoon's heart skidding to a stop.

 

Jihoon has no time to think when he feels Daniel lean forward to claim his lips with his smoldering ones. Jerking back, he tries to push him, but Daniel has bound his wrists together and pinned them above his head. His grip is too strong, and Jihoon gasps from the aching pain. He feels like his heart might burst out of his chest.

 

(Jihoon misses this; he misses the taste of Daniel's lips upon him, but at the same time he hates it with every fiber of his being.)

 

Daniel pushes himself closer. Jihoon shivers against the warm, hard line of the pureblood's body against his and lets his eyes fall shut. The longer they kiss, the more he feels Daniel's anger subsided. His iron grip around Jihoon's wrists loosen slowly, and Jihoon lets out a shuddering breath when Daniel breaks their kiss apart and rests his forehead against his forehead.

 

"Please, just listen to me this once Jihoon," he murmurs weakly and lowers his eyes in a begging manner. "I need you to take me with you. I can't—I can't stay here when you're out there risking your life."

 

Jihoon knits his brows together at the sudden change. At first, Daniel had been so persistent and even wild; like he'd almost lost control of his instinct but now he looks so pitiful. The pureblood fluctuates violently, and for some reason, it makes Jihoon confused and maybe – just maybe – a little bit concerned for his wellbeing.

 

"What's wrong with you?" Jihoon wonders out loud. "Why are you so desperate to go with me?"

 

Helplessly, Jihoon feels Daniel's lips cover his once again, and the warmth brings a shiver through him. It feels like as though he should set the pureblood on fire but he remembers that he can't. So he presses his palms against his chest and tries to push him away, but there is no strength behind them.

 

_Why?_

 

When Daniel pulls back and the warmth disappears, Jihoon feels numb. It's not like when he'd gotten frostbite, but it's more like he's not even breathing because he's chosen to admire the way Daniel's lips twist into a bittersweet smile instead to gasping for air.

 

"Because I promised that I will always protect you, Jihoon."

 

The breath across his skin is warm and inviting, but instead of happiness that he feels, there's a throbbing pain blooming inside his chest when Daniel whispers those words like a prayer.

 

"And I will keep it to my grave, so please, _please_ stay with me, okay?"

 

* * *

_confounds_

* * *

}{

 

They start walking all at the same time, in a silence which feels as thick and heavy as the weight of something he can't describe perfectly.

 

Daniel doesn't know what to say; he guesses by Jihoon's uncharacteristically somber expression that he doesn't have a clue either. Seongwoo, Jaehan, Taewoong, and Seonho are trailing behind, giving them the space they need and Daniel haven't been more grateful in his life. It's a good thing that Daniel could convince his brother to let him and his subordinates to handle Jihoon's safety. His first pick had been Seongwoo and Jaehwan but then changed his plan last minute, thinking that the latter's presence will shock Jihoon even more.

 

(Because whether he likes it or not, all Jihoon knows that he'd killed Jaehwan in cold blood ten years ago, even though the truth is _far_ from that.)

 

Daniel knows that it's his fault and he knows today will not be sunshine and rainbows. He can feel it; it's there in the silence between them, in the space between their long shadows on the ground.

 

Just lingering; _waiting_.

 

"I'm going to enter the building and search for the chest." Jihoon suddenly says, "And no, all of you aren't allowed to go with me."

 

Daniel grits his teeth. "We talked about this—"

 

"Shut it." He snaps at him. "I'm not going to risk anything. All of you are going to wait here and try to not attract any attention, and I will be inside, looking for that stupid chest that your brother wants, then come back in one piece. We're not going inflict any damage or kill anybody, you hear me?"

 

"Hey! Stop being rude to Daniel-hyung!" Seonho exclaims from behind. "He's way above you, so you better respect him and—"

 

"That's enough, Seonho." Daniel snaps at him, and the younger cowers away from his intense stare. He turns around to face Jihoon. "Fine, we're going to wait here. You better come back in ten minutes, or I'm going to follow you inside."

 

Jihoon snarls. "Who are you to cont—"

 

"Park Jihoon, watch your mouth." Daniel snaps at him. "I'm still your superior if you forget."

 

Jihoon's eyes are brimming with hatred, and Daniel knows that if his power isn't sealed, the half-blood would have set him on his blue fire right then and now without hesitation. Daniel sighs, wishing for the simpler days when he can talk to his mate without having to use his authority on him, but this call for an emergency.

 

_"Jihoon,"_ Daniel says sternly. "Just listen to me this once."

 

_"Fine."_ he spits out. "Give me twenty minutes."

 

"Fifteen."

 

"I said twenty minutes," Jihoon says stubbornly. "You as—jerk."

 

Daniel rolls his eyes. "Fine. Twenty minutes. Now go."

 

Once more, Jihoon sends him a sharp glare before he pivots on his feet and walks into the direction of the barrier. Daniel focuses his sight on the middle of Jihoon's back that keeps getting farther and farther away from where he stands and feels his chest tighten.

 

"Wait,"

 

Daniel reaches out to grab Jihoon's wrist, stopping him from taking a step further.

 

Jihoon turns around and raises his brow at him. "What do you want?"

 

Words rise up and fall behind the wall of his teeth. Daniel doesn't know what to say because all the words he had prepared feel so terribly lacking, so he settles with a bittersweet smile and a simple;

 

"Please be safe."

 

* * *

_him_

* * *

}{

  

Jihoon still remembers it, even until now.

 

There was a door in the basement that Jonghyun had banned everyone from entering. Nothing was out of ordinary, it looked as plain as the other doors inside the association, but the fact that Jonghyun had always brought the key with him everywhere piqued Jihoon's interest. That, and also a nagging feeling that he'd always gotten whenever he was in the same proximity within the door.

 

(Because whatever was behind that door, it felt like—like it was _calling_ him.)

 

Jihoon had been curious enough that he snatched the key when the hunter was sleeping, then paid the door a little visit. Behind that door was a barren chamber filled with rugs. It was windowless and on its bricks wall hanged a few damaged chandeliers. The walls were recessed and protruded to the walls on the opposite side as if to reflect the sounds, and in the middle of that room laid a stone table. On top of that, there was a wooden chest. Unopened. Sealed.

 

When Jihoon touched it, the same feeling resurfaced again, maybe ten times harder. But he couldn't open the chest no matter how hard he tried, so Jihoon gave up and left the room before anyone could catch him snooping around. He'd returned the key back into Jonghyun's bedchamber and kept everything to himself, playing innocent when the next day the hunter gave him this weird look as if he knew something.

 

And now, Jihoon is about to replay everything all over again. Except this time around it's not for his own interest, but someone else's.

 

_Fuck. What should I do?_

 

Jihoon curses under his breath and tries to keep himself from losing his shit as he walks through the long corridor. The last time he's checked, it's three in the morning. Everyone must be sleeping right now. If he's quiet enough, he can—

 

"Jihoon?"

 

Jihoon spins on his feet, his gaze darting everywhere, searching for the source of the sound. Then at the end of the corridor, he catches two silhouettes standing in the warped back glow of chandeliers lining the wall.

 

"W-Wait, it's really Jihoon-hyung?"

 

Jihoon inclines his head, observing quietly. He takes in the dark cloak, tattooed arms, and meticulously styled hair. One of them is definitely taller than the other, but their eyes are the same; wide and full of disbelief.

 

"Jonghyun-hyung…" Jihoon gulps down, his heart beating hard against his chest bone. Before he can stop himself, his eyes dart towards the key around his neck. "And Guanlin-ah."

 

"Jihoon," Jonghyun repeats again as if he's trying to convince himself that yes; Jihoon is here and yes; he is real. But then he catches Jihoon's eyes on his neck, and his once warm eyes now turn cold. "What are you doing here?"

 

Explanations rise up and fall flat on his tongue. Jihoon's tongue darts out to lick a stripe on his lower lip. How can he possibly explain his intention to him?

 

"Jihoon, answer me," he demands. "What are you doing here?"

 

Guanlin takes a step forward. "Hyung, are you—?"

 

"Guanlin, stay where you are."

 

Jonghyun's tone is anything but cordial. He shifts his eyes into Guanlin's tall form. Jihoon can see confusion clouding his eyes, and it makes him sick in the stomach.

 

_No. I can't let them know._

 

Jihoon doesn't allow himself to think. He focuses his sight on the glint of silver around Jonghyun's neck before he stands. And the next thing that he knows of, the hunter falls to the ground with a small thump, unconscious, while Jihoon's clenching the key inside his fist as if it is his lifeline.

 

_I'm so sorry._

 

"W-What—" the look of horror on Gunalin's face will forever haunt his mind. "What have you done, Jihoon-hyung?"

 

Jihoon begins to panic as he stares at Guanlin's trembling form. His mind is a mess, and when he feels arms grabbing his shoulders roughly, Jihoon has to bite his tongue from screaming out loud.

 

"Hyung what the fuck is wrong with you?" Guanlin asks harshly, his grip tightening along with the tone of his voice. "Why did you do that?!"

 

_Sorry_ , he wants to say. All Jihoon wants to say is sorry, but his voice won't come out.

 

"L-Let me go, Guanlin-ah." he croaks out. "I need—I need to go."

 

Guanlin glares at him heatedly, eyes bleeding bright green. "No, you're not going anywhere."

 

"I said let me go!" Jihoon begins to trash around. "Just this once—please, let me go Guanlin. I have to do something. If I'm too late—"

 

"If you're too late… then what?"

 

Jihoon clamps up, nausea taking over his body. He tries to wiggle out from under Guanlin's grip, refusing to answer. Even when he's using all his strength, Jihoon knows that physically, without his power and swords he stands no chance against the young hunter. Because unlike him, Guanlin is a full-blooded vampire.

 

(And there's only _one_ thing that can weaken him.)

 

"I'm so sorry, Guanlin."

 

Jihoon opens his mouth wide and drives straight into his neck. Maybe it's only his imagination, but when his fangs sink right into Guanlin's skin, he can feel his tears soaking into his robes.

 

_Please forgive me._

 

After deeming it enough, Jihoon pulls his fangs out and takes a step back. He watches as Guanlin crumples into the floor while holding his bloodied neck tightly and feels his chest tighten. Turning back, Jihoon wears the key around his neck and heads to the stairs, running.

 

_Please._

 

Without noticing it, Jihoon passes four floors, the ground swallowing him up further with every step. Even as the air grows colder as he descends, he keeps the thoughts of running back to Guanlin arms at the back of his head. It's almost funny, he thinks.

 

(How could he even think about that after everything he has done?)

 

Finally, Jihoon reaches the last floor to find a massive door with indescribable words written on its surface and almost loses his cool for a moment. It's different from the door from years ago, and something certainly has changed; Jihoon can feel it in his blood.

 

Jihoon's sapphire eyes sweep over the words, biting his lower lip in nervousness. Those words are sealing spells, and it means whatever behind that door, it must be dangerous.

 

_Curse you, Kang Dongho._

 

The key around his neck is a constant weight on his shoulders. After gulping in a mouthful of air, Jihoon jams the silver right into the keyhole and turns it around until he hears a faint click. Jihoon pushes it slowly, coughing when he's suddenly bombarded with dust as soon as he steps inside the barren room. Just like ten years ago, the chest is still there, sitting on top the stone table; sealed.

 

Jihoon runs towards the table and gathers the chest into his trembling arms. After taking in a calming breath he heads out, planning an escape. But before he can step further, he sees someone standing at the door, blocking his way.

 

"Ahh, someone finally decided to come back, hm?"

 

* * *

_turns_

* * *

}{

 

Now that he has the time to listen, Daniel realizes that the sound from inside has become quieter than before. He frowns. It's only been ten minutes since Jihoon'd entered the barrier, but he can't ignore the nagging feeling anymore.

 

_Something is wrong._

 

"I'm going to go after him." Daniel finally decides. "The rest of you, wait here."

 

"Alone, Daniel?" Seongwoo exclaims, concern lining the line of his mouth and forehead. "Let me come with you."

 

Daniel shakes his head. "No, I'm okay. Just stay here and take care of the rest."

 

"But hyung, he told us to wait here." Seonho pipes up carelessly. "You shouldn't bother yourself with him."

 

The moment Daniel throws a harsh glance at him to silence him, Seonho cowers and takes a step back. The young vampire stares at him with a terrified expression and laces his trembling hands together in front of his chest.

 

"I-I'm—uh," he mumbles. "I'm sorry, my lord."

 

Daniel gives him another glare before he sighs. His knuckles are bone white, fingers digging crescent moons into his palms.

 

"Just don't do anything reckless," he says after a moment. "I'm counting on all of you."

 

Just before he can step into the barrier, a loud, sickening crack echoes from a distance. Daniel roams his eyes curiously at the sound.

 

"Something must have happened inside." Seongwoo murmurs beside him. "I'm worried about Jihoon."

 

Then suddenly, all they can hear is the sound of someone screaming. Without hesitating, Daniel runs towards the source, hoping that he's not too late. The others follow him from behind, but he doesn't really care. The only thing that he can focus on is Jihoon and Jihoon alone.

 

_Please be safe._

But when he arrives, Daniel can't find Jihoon's dark hair and wide eyes anywhere. And instead he finds a beaten boy leaning against the wall, eyes unfocused and empty. Because of the dark, Daniel can't see his face well, but then boy opens his mouth and says;

 

"P-Please help him…"

 

(Somewhere in his mindscape, Daniel is suddenly reminded of a child who used to cling to him and Jihoon all the time. A child who was abandoned at birth by his family. A child which they'd brought under their protection. A child who is now a man; and his name is—)

 

"Lai Guanlin."

 

* * *

_him_

* * *

}{

 

 

"Well, look at you," The hunter smirks at him. "You're nothing without your swords, huh? What a pitiful creature."

 

He is trapped in the basement while Taehyun, one of the hunters, is walking closer with a sneer on his lips. The others are standing not too far from them, each supporting the same hatred on their faces. None of them are familiar to him, and at that moment, Jihoon realizes that he's fucked. Because of his status as a mixed blood, most of the hunters hated his guts, and Taehyun was one of the most vocal about it. He had nothing to worry about because none of them dared to touch a hair on him. But now that Taehyun knows he'd betrayed Jonghyun's trust, there's nothing to stop him anymore.

 

"Stay away from me," Jihoon says quietly while glaring at the hunter who's already within a couple of breaths from him. "I'm warning you."

 

"To think that Jonghyun's golden child would ever betray the association, ck." He shakes his head dramatically. "Shouldn't have trusted a halfling like you from the start. He's so stupid to let you join our ranks."

 

"Shut up," Jihoon says between gritted teeth. "I said, stay away from me."

 

Instead of staying away, Taehyun reaches out a hand to take hold of Jihoon, forcing him to quickly back against the wall behind. Jihoon's heart pulsates wildly, hard enough his voice shakes with the heartbeats. There is nothing he can use as a weapon; his twin swords are nowhere to be found, and his fire is sealed away. Jihoon knows that he needs help, but he refuses to owe his life to someone, especially to a creature that he hates the most.

 

"What a pity," the hunter says. "You're such a talented little bun. I really don't want to kill you, but I need to pay you up for everything, right?"

 

"I don't fucking understand what are you talking about," Jihoon hisses low. "Now let me go."

 

Taehyun stops his attempt to touch him, doubling in laughter. "Let you go? What a joke."

 

Jihoon watches a wide grin spread on his face, and before he has the time to figure out anything, Taehyun has seized his neck between his fingers, pupils dilating wildly.

 

_F-Fuck. I can't breathe._

 

Jihoon trashes around his grip like a wild animal, and the panic grows the more he fights and fails to escape. The rest of the hunters are walking towards them in glee, and Jihoon is pretty sure that they want to take part in torturing him too. Fear shots through his bloodstreams. Jihoon wants to scream to attract any kind of support, but no voice comes forth. He is entirely silenced by fear, and he's losing his consciousness fast.

 

_Someone h-help._

 

He thinks desperately while forcing his eyes shut. The pain is no longer burning, and instead, it's a quiet throb against his skin. Jihoon knows that he's going to pass out soon if this continues, but he's no match with the hunter. He tries to struggle again, hoping that there's still a little strength left in him, and yet his resistance meets with Taehyun's condescending laugh.

 

"I've been waiting for this moment for so long. You can't escape from me, Jihoon," he whispers into his ear. "An eye for an eye. Your mate killed my best friend, and now I'm going to kill you in his place."

 

_No._

 

Jihoon chokes out. His lungs feel so empty. He needs air.

 

_Help me._

 

"Goodbye, Park Jihoon."

 

_I don't want to die._

 

**_Crack._ **

 

* * *

_mad;_

* * *

}{

 

"I need to—I need to h-help him." Guanlin murmurs under his breath, coughing furiously. "Taehyun is d-dangerous. He's going to—I need—"

 

"Don't you dare, Lai Guanlin." Seonho hisses into his ears. "You're staying with me. Don't you fucking _dare_ to run after them."

 

"But Seonho—Jihoon-hyung is—"

 

"STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM! Don't you see it? He's _using_ you!" Seonho screams. "Have you ever think about your safety even a bit? You could _die!"_

 

"I'M NOT GOING TO DIE!" Guanlin snaps. "And he's _not_ using me, okay? Jihoon is different! I'm his protector, I know him best, Seonho. Let me assure you, he means no harm to me!"

 

"Then what the fuck is this?" Seonho grabs his collars, boring his eyes into faded twin holes across his neck. "Do you really that blinded by love to not see what he'd done to you?!"

 

Guanlin freezes; a pair of viridian eyes gaping wide.

 

"Do you," Seonho hisses. "—still want to trust him after he'd done something so unforgivable?"

 

"It's not him!" The vampire cries out. "It's not my Jihoon! It wasn't… Jihoon… he's not—!"

 

"What's the fucking difference? He bit you! It's enough reason for you to get the hell away from him! Have you ever think about your safety even a bit? I'm worried Guanlin! That filthy halfling is going to get you killed! Just like them, he will sacrifice you without batting an eyelash, and here you are trusting him blindly!"

 

Silence.

 

"…filthy, you say?"

 

Seonho freezes.

 

"So he's filthy to you?" Guanlin chuckles bitterly. "Have you forgotten, Seonho?"

 

Seonho shakes his head and begins to tremble under Guanlin's cold stare. "Please, you know I didn't mean—"

 

"You are one of them, once. Just like me," he whispers. "When did things start to change?"

 

* * *

_such_

* * *

}{

  

Jihoon looks over Taehyun's shoulder and catches a pair of amethyst eyes gleaming among the darkness, and the next thing he knows, the hunter drops onto the ground; his neck twisted at an unnatural angle, body unmoving.

 

_Huh?_

 

"Jihoon." he bites back a scream when something wet and sticky plants itself over the skin of his cheek. "Are you okay?"

 

_Breathe_ , he screams to himself. _You need to breathe!_

 

"M-Monster—" someone is screaming in the distance. "He's a monster! _RUN!"_

 

The sensation on his skin disappears. Jihoon rakes in another gulp of breath. Someone is screaming again, and it's louder. More screams echo in the background, each a terrifying sound that rattles his skin and sinks through his bones.

 

Jihoon blinks his eyes repeatedly, trying so hard to clear the dust and tears which blurring his sight. But he still can't see right. So he brings his hand up and wipes his eyes repeatedly until they burn.

 

(What flashes in front of his eyes is something he can't forget for a lifetime.)

 

_Blood._

 

Daniel is standing in a pool of blood just like his surroundings. Even his hair, his face, his arms—every bit of Daniel is dyed in crimson. And his skin. They are full of black marks. Dark, scattering marks which run along the expanse of his face until his arms.

 

_What's wrong with you?_

 

There is too much blood, and the smell of it mingles sickeningly on the air with the scent of rotting flesh. There was roughly a battalion of them, he thinks in horror. Maybe twenty of them had been there before Daniel reduced them to a bloody mess. Jihoon slaps his palm against his mouth. He begins to feel nauseous from the numbers.

 

"Daniel why…?" he croaks out. "Why did you kill them?"

 

There is no answer, and the silence feels so thick and heavy; crushing the air in his lungs until all he can hear is his thudding heartbeat in his ears. Jihoon lets gravity pull him down, all at once collapsing in on himself as he slides down the wall to the ground, eyes wide and unseeing.

 

_This has to be a dream._

 

"Why—" he chokes back a sob. "Why did you kill them you bastard?!"

 

* * *

_is_

* * *

 }{

 

_Someone is crying_ , he thinks.

 

Daniel flicks his damp hair from his face and looks down into his arms, frowning at the amount of blood which painted his skin red. He doesn't really remember how it'd gotten there. Did he lose control again?

 

"Daniel… you…"

 

Blinking out from his stupor, Daniel turns around to see Jihoon's hunched form a few meters from him. The younger is sitting on the floor, his back pressed against the wall and knees drawn to his chest as if he's trying to protect himself from the world. Daniel sets his eyes into his mate, and suddenly he remembers everything.

 

(Jihoon. Hands around his neck. A scream.)

 

_No._

Daniel runs towards him then crouches down, cupping his face between his palms with trembling hands. "J-Jihoon—Jihoon are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

 

His movement forces Jihoon to look up from the valley of his knees until their eyes meet. Jihoon eyes are as blue as the clear sky he remembers from their childhood, but infinitely colder now; sadder.

 

"Why?" the younger croaks out. There are drying trails of tears on his cheeks, and he looks so empty in Daniel's eyes. "Why did you kill them?"

 

Daniel flinches at the question.

 

"I don't want you to kill anymore." murmurs Jihoon brokenly. "You killed my brother. You killed Jaehwan-hyung. You even killed little Woojin. Weren't they enough?"

 

_I didn't kill them!_ Daniel wants to scream at him. Wants to cry at him and tells him everything until the pain inside his heart lessens but Daniel knows he can't.

 

"Why are you silent? Say something. I might hate you for real if you don't tell me the reason." he whispers. "Why? _Why_ Daniel?"

 

This time, the desperation grows to such unbearable levels that he can't keep his calm anymore. The marks across his skin start to glow; bright blue in color just like the shade of Jihoon's eyes. Daniel winces when pain begins to engulf him whole. He needs to calm down, needs to push those awful marks away from corrupting his skin but it's too hard.

 

(It's too hard when the coiner of those marks is sitting right in front of him.)

 

A shudder wracks through him, and then he breaks into tears. They run down his cheeks and begin washing away the blood smeared across his chin, then drip onto Jihoon's shirt.

 

 "I'm sorry," Daniel whispers, burying his face into the crook of Jihoon's neck. "I'm so sorry. But I can't."

 

"I don't understand," Jihoon says hollowly.

 

"I can't, Jihoon." Daniel shakes his head. "I can't."

 

"You never tell me anything." Jihoon's sadness is infective. Daniel can feel it oozing out of him and staining the air around them. "All this time, I was so lost, I was confused but you—" he shudders.

 

"You…"

 

Something wet touches his skin. Daniel looks up and finds Jihoon's glassy orbs staring at him. He doesn't like the anguished twist of his mouth and above all things he wants to kiss it away; to feel his lips on his again but—

 

"I hate you, Daniel," he whispers. "I hate you so much."

 

(But he knows that he doesn't deserve it.)

 

Jihoon gets up abruptly and runs away from him. When Jihoon disappears from his sight, Daniel drops to his knees and lets his tears fall. He doesn't run after him. He can't.

 

(After all, putting things back together is far harder than breaking them apart.)

 

"I didn't mean to kill Minhyung-hyung," Daniel whispers to the wind, trying so hard to keep his voice from losing its foundation. "I didn't—I'd never wanted to kill anyone."

 

A smile breaks across his face when he manages to finish his confession. A confession that will never be voiced; he thinks. He is a tad happy though. At least he can acknowledge this feeling. At least, he can ignore the pain when remembering his words back then.

 

(At least, he can be honest with himself.)

 

"But you see," he says after a beat. "I had to do it."

 

(No more pretending, no more denying.)

 

"Because if not him, then it would be you who died that day. And I _couldn't_ accept that."

 

His lips throb from all the biting he did from keeping the forbidden words against the wall of his mouth. Someone – who are you? – is screaming inside his mind; banging on the still bone ruthlessly. But the pain inside his chest is ten times louder than everything.

 

"I couldn't accept the world where you're gone, so that's why—" The pain is getting bigger now. It suffocates him, wrecking his scattered heart, tearing it part by part. "That's why I couldn't let him kill you."

 

Daniel closes his eyes and dreams of paradise. There are him and Jihoon, smiling. It's such a beautiful picture, and he can't help but smile a little. Opening his eyes to reality once more, Daniel rises up from the battered ground. His knees shake beneath him, but he has begun to feel slightly stronger now than moments earlier.

 

_You need to fight it,_ he tells himself.

 

Daniel feels the marks retreating back from his skin until they are gone completely. Finally, he's getting his strength back, and he takes it as a sign for him to leave and take control of the mess he'd left behind. But before he can take a step forward, a voice startles him from behind.

 

"Kang Daniel."

 

* * *

_is_

* * *

 }{

  

_What the fuck was that?_

 

Jihoon is running, almost soaring from the ground; his body merely a blur as his feet thump against the earth before they leap again into the air.

 

_What's wrong with him?_

His lungs are burning; his heart throbbing, so much that it hurts. Jihoon shuts his eyes close when his muscles constrict a little, shooting up pain across his nerves. Someone is screaming at him to stop, but he refuses to slow his movement down.

 

_Those marks across his skin… they seem familiar._

Jihoon opens his eyes wide when a sharp pain suddenly pierces his head. He grimaces when the pain increases even more, and yet he still doesn't stop running. But then he spots the familiar door in the distance, and before he can even register anything, his feet have abruptly skidded to a halt.

 

_No. Stop thinking about him. He's not my concern anymore._

 

After taking in a calming breath, Jihoon kicks the door open with his feet and storms inside.

 

"Ah, you're back." Dongho greets him from the entrance. "Where's Daniel?"

 

Jihoon doesn't answer him, and instead, he walks until they are only a foot away, then dumps the chest into Dongho's expecting hand. "Here's your fucking chest."

 

After glaring at him for a while, Jihoon turns back and walks toward the door. He needs to get away from here. His head is a painful mess. But a step before he reaches the door, Dongho opens his mouth again.

 

"Do you want to hear a story?"

 

His voice lingers in the air for a moment. Jihoon winces when the pain manifolds.

_What's wrong with me?_

 

"Have a seat, Jihoon," Dongho says again. "I'm sure that you must be familiar with this one."

 

"No, thank you." he manages to spit the words despite the pain. "I'm going."

 

_"I said,"_ a shiver runs down Jihoon's body. _"Have a seat."_

 

Jihoon chokes back a scream when his insides twist in the most terrifying way. The pain doubles up, and he's forced to sit on the chair.

 

"Park Jihoon. The youngest of the infamous Park Clan. Orphaned when he was merely one year old. The Hwang Clan took pity on you and brought you into the family when you were two. And that's when you met Hwang Minhyun and looked up to him as your own brother."

 

Dongho pauses and laughs softly to himself.

 

"Or so you thought."

 

Jihoon stares at him in confusion.

 

"W-What do you mean by that?"

 

Dongho snorts. "How many vampires you know that have blue orbs like you and Minhyun?"

 

Jihoon presses his palm against his forehead when the pain strikes again, and this time it's worse than before. His head feels like it's about to burst open.

 

"You and Minhyun weren't real brothers, but the two of you were connected with each other. You can feel it, right? His blood still flows through you even until now. You were related by blood, but you're not born from the same womb."

 

Dongho pauses to give him a condescending smile.

 

"But you'd already know that fact, right?"

 

Jihoon bites his tongue down, trying to control his expression from showing his pain. "Yeah. I know."

 

"Aren't you curious about your origin?" he asks. "Do you want to know the secret that Minhyun'd brought to his grave?"

 

His mind is screaming at him to say no, but his mouth has always been a step ahead of his brain so when he feels his lips opening by itself and forms the syllables, Jihoon can only wait for the resounding truth to tumble down from Dongho's parted lips.

 

"Then let me tell you this; both you and Minhyun weren't born—" Jihoon's eyes widen from the revelation. "—but created from an illegal experiment the Park clan embarked solely to create a perfect weapon of mass destruction, to create a powerful pawn,"

 

_Huh?_

 

"To create you, Park Jihoon."

 

_To create… me?_

 

* * *

_the_

* * *

}{

 

"Lai Guanlin." Addresses Daniel with a small smirk. He darts his eyes into his messy appearance, noting the blood and bruises which decorated his pale skin with colors. "Fancy seeing you here. What business does an A-class hunter like you have with me, hm?"

 

"Are you done playing the villain?" Guanlin hisses through split lips. "Does it make you happy to see him suffer?"

 

Daniel sighs dramatically. "Ah, I miss the old days when you called me hyung. You've grown too much, Guanlin-ah."

 

"Shut up, I don't want to hear that from you, you traitor," he growls. "Why did you come back after all this time? Tired of running away?"

 

Daniel stills for a moment, but then he breaks into a loud, boisterous laugh.

 

"Yeah, maybe I am." he chuckles softly. "But I managed to avenge him, Guanlin-ah."

 

Guanlin stares at him in disbelief. "… what?"

 

"Only a few are left. But don't worry, they're going to meet the same fate like their fellow creature." The pureblood says with a crazed look on his face, his once beautiful amber eyes now deep in a crimson hue. "One by one; I watched them suffer like they did to us. How beautiful their blood when it splashed over the floor, it's like a painting."

 

"You sick bastard." Guanlin shakes his head, face twisting in disgust. "Why? Why are you doing all of this?"

 

Daniel's eyes turn cold. "Because they deserved it."

 

"But it's not their fault!" he almost screams. "Minhyun-hyung was cursed! It was in his blood, and nothing could change that fact!"

 

"Are you trying to justify those bastard's action?" he hisses dangerously. "You, Lai Guanlin, a noble vampire whom the council banished forever from our ranks? What the fuck do you think you're saying?"

 

Taking a step back, Guanlin looks at Daniel in fear. "H-hyung—"

 

"Now you're calling me hyung." Daniel laughs, clearly mocking him. "I'm so thankful because you have kept my mate well, but it doesn't mean that I won't kill you for disrespecting me, Guanlin."

 

"Daniel-hyung… just—why?" he asks. "Do you know how much you hurt Jihoon-hyung by lying to him about his brother's death? When you're out there killing them, Jihoon-hyung was killing himself." he pauses. "He'd almost died in my arms, do you know how terrifying to watch him like that?"

 

Daniel staggers back, eyes widening. "I thought that—"

 

"You're wrong," Guanlin cuts him off. "Whatever you thought, you're wrong. Why, hyung? Why of all things it has to be revenge? I don't know Minhyun-hyung that well, but I know that the last thing he wanted was for you and Jihoon-hyung to be like this!"

 

That last sentence hovers in the silence between them.

 

"But I have to avenge him," whispers Daniel after a while. "If not for them, if not because of their selfishness, I could have saved Minhyun-hyung. I could have made Jihoon happy. I was so close to finding him the cure, so damn close but those bastards—"

 

The air suddenly drops a few degrees as Daniel stares at him with eyes as cold as ice that it gives him goosebumps.

 

"They fucking triggered his curse that he'd almost killed his own brother!"

 

Blood drains from Guanlin's face. "W-What?"

 

"You would never understand. You weren't there, Guanlin," says Daniel. "Minhyun-hyung was so terrified of himself, of what he was turning into, that he begged me to do him one little favor."

 

"N-No…"

 

"Hwang Minhyun begged me to end his life. And he made me promise to never tell Jihoon about _his_ curse."

 

* * *

_foolishness_

* * *

}{

 

Jihoon is feeling all sort of daze. His head is throbbing, just like the rest of his body but his heart—

 

(It feels numb.)

 

"The Park clan was full of geniuses, and their sole purpose was to create a new bloodline, a new kind of that's far greater than even the purest of blood," emphasizes Dongho. "So they kept mixing in blood from many vampires, mostly purebloods and nobles with a unique power. They were almost successful, if only they could control the curse which came with the power."

 

_Curse? What curse?_

 

"Both you and Minhyun were a result of the same experiment," Dongho says, still in a condescending way like before. "But the difference is; you are a successful one, while Minhyun, well—"

 

A pause, and then;

 

"Minhyun was just another failed test subject."

 

_Failed?_

 

"But at least he'd survived the countless of experiments he'd put through unlike his predecessors," Dongho says with a smile. "Do you want to know the name of your late brothers? There were quite a lot of them, but I can list them one by one if you want me to." Dongho says. "Well, it doesn't really matter, though. After all, they died because the curse put on them. They weren't called failed test subject for nothing, you know. It's either because they couldn't withhold the curse—or die trying."

 

"W-Wait, stop," Jihoon whispers. "What nonsense are you spouting? Are you trying to fool me?"

 

"For what purpose?" Dongho asks with a snort. "I have no interest in feeding you white lies like Daniel did."

 

Jihoon clenches his teeth at that. "You said that my brother was a failed test subject—or whatever it is, so why he's still alive by the time I met him?"

 

"Minhyun was—well, he was a special case," says Dongho. "He was cursed just like them, but unlike them, he was able to hold the curse at bay with the sheer power of his consciousness. After the Park clan disposed him, the Hwang clan adopted him into the family because of his remarkable intelligence." he pauses, lips curling into a half-smile. "He was a smart boy, and he actually had the audacity to request help from the royal family to stop them from creating more experiments. My father, the late King, ordered their illegal actions to be stopped."

 

Dongho stands up from his chair and walks towards Jihoon with even steps.

 

"But despite the warning, they kept doing more experiments secretly. Their attempts were not enough, it seemed. They kept failing, and for each failed test subject, they'd grown more frustrated. Minhyun was the last blow before they completely turned a blind eye into my father's warning and began another test subject, but now with a little twist which hadn't been done before."

 

Jihoon pales. He can't help the wince when Dongho stops in front of him to stare at him with this – _this –_ expression pasted on his face.

 

"Instead of a vampire, they mixed in a human blood instead. There was no record of mixed blood in our history. The council, after all, banned us from mingling with humans because they didn't want our bloodline to be tainted. But they were wrong. And the Park Clan took it to their own advantage."

 

After staring at him for a while, Dongho walks closer until they are face to face. Jihoon gulps back the fear back into his throat when he sees the way Dongho's orbs keep flickering from amber to madder red.

 

"Jihoon, what do you think you'll get from mixing human blood with a cursed vampire blood?"

 

Jihoon holds his breath. There is something sadistic and cruel in the way he's looking at him, but the half-blood can't really describe it perfectly. As if sensing his fear, Dongho smiles at him and opens his mouth a second later.

 

"You get a perfect killing machine."

 

_Huh?_

 

"Why do you think the council massacred the whole Park clans and left you alone as the sole survivor, hm? Why do you think such a majestic and old pureblood clan had to be wiped out from earth?" Dongho shakes his head in mock pity. "It's all because they had done something unforgivable. Mixing human blood with our sacred bloodline was, and still is, considered a heavy crime."

 

Dongho begins to smile, small at first but it grows and blooms, and his smile looks so twisted in Jihoon's eyes.

 

"I-I don't… I don't understand." He whispers low. "Why should I believe you? For all I know you're trying to brainwash me to join your organization. So why—"

 

"I don't care whether you believe me or not, but I'm sure that you're curious as for why you're still alive and Minhyun didn't."

 

Jihoon grits his teeth. "It's because Daniel—"

 

"Daniel didn't do shit besides delivering the last blow." Dongho cuts him off. "All you need to know that Minhyun was already gone when Daniel rammed his sword through his chest."

 

"No. No, you're lying." Jihoon croaks out. "I _saw_ him. I saw Daniel—"

 

"Minhyun died because of the fucking curse! How thick-headed can you be?" Dongho snaps at him. "If not because of that curse, Daniel wouldn't have killed him. Do you really think that he could end someone's life, huh? That Daniel who's gentle and kind, do you really think he's capable of such a thing?"

 

Jihoon feels the tears prick against the corner of his eyes. Even now, the answer to that question is still the same.

 

_No. He's not._

His fists are clenched, and his eyes sting and just for once, just for once he wants to hear the truth.

 

"Then tell me," he croaks out. "Tell me everything."

 

Dongho sighs and moves back to get some distance between them.

 

"Just like Minhyun, you were cursed." he says. "But unlike him, the curse doesn't endanger your life at all. There's something inside the human blood which prevented it from corrupting you. But along with that curse, you were created along with something that your predecessors failed to get each time."

 

Jihoon bites his lower lip when Dongho looks at him coldly with his crimson eyes.

 

"You were created with the ability to control your curse." Dongho murmurs, taking his hand and pulling him along to stand from his seat. He touches the black seal across the half-blood's wrist; a small, sad smile making its way to his lips. "Tell me, Jihoon. Does it feel nice to have those blue fire? Or does it drive you crazy, hm?"

 

His hands begin to shake. Jihoon wrenches his wrist from Dongho's grip and glares at him behind his bangs. "D-Don't touch me."

 

Dongho merely laughs at his action, taking a step back but still pinning his eyes on him. "Your power is unique, Jihoon. And them, the council," he says with a dark smile. "They wanted it."

 

Jihoon stills his breath at the barrage of words.

 

"They wanted _you_."

 

Jihoon gnaws at his lower lip, leaving a red trace across the swelling edge.

 

"But Minhyun wouldn't let them take you. He was too attached to you. And when he was trying to hide you away from them, they found out a way to activate his curse into its full potential, which drove him into insanity." Dongho stops for a moment, before he continues again. "He was losing his mind to the curse. Minhyun was nothing but a shell of his old self, and you—Jihoon, you were nothing but a blood sacrifice for him."

 

_No._

 

"He was about to kill you in his madness. You; his own brother," he emphasizes. "The only thing that could prevent you from being killed was killing him before he could kill you, and guess what Daniel'd chosen?"

 

_It can't be true._

 

"He'd chosen you above anything else."

 

_No. No. No. No_

 

"M-My brother—" Jihoon chokes out, "Then my brother was—"

 

"Yes, he's dead because of you."

 

Jihoon freezes, eyes widening in disbelief.

 

"And soon, Daniel will meet the same fate like him."

 

Pain bursts inside his chest, right between his pressed-up lungs. It scrapes across his heart and sinks into his bones, leaving his fingers cold and shaking. He just sits there for a minute or two until the shock wears off, until he stops shaking, before taking in a shuddering breath.

 

"….what do you mean?"

 

Dongho smiles crookedly. "Don't act dumb. I know you understand what I am talking about."

 

Jihoon stops.

 

_That glowing blue marks across his skin… it can't be—_

 

Then he remembers how Daniel had lost control and massacred the whole battalion of hunters in a blink of an eye. How he seemed like he'd no recollection of his action. How he'd changed in a span of second from a killing machine to the docile and gentle Daniel that he knows of.

 

And those marks—those blue, glowing marks which scattered across his skin.

 

Now Jihoon finally remembers when he'd first seen it.

 

> The first time he'd seen it, Jihoon had been nineteen and crying, and his brother had just pulled a sword from behind his back and smiled at him while raising the metal ever so slightly against the skin of his cheek.

 

Jihoon screams but no sound came out. The gruesome picture keeps repeating itself inside his mind.

 

> Blood was trickling down his cheek, and Minhyun smeared it across his pale skin with his fingers before he licked it off. _"Jihoonie, let's meet in hell, shall we?"_

 

It has to be a dream.

 

> Minhyun smiled at him; a painfully sweet smile while his eyes gleamed brightly. They were no longer blue, but instead, his beautiful orbs were a shade of amethyst; dark and calculating as he pressed the tip of his sword into the place where his heart hung.

 

Jihoon clutches his head and screams and screams. He screams until his throat hurts; until he can't feel a thing; until he's numb.

 

> _"Goodbye,"_ Minhyun whispered softly against his ear. _"My dear little brother."_

 

But then, everything stops and the pictures disappear to the back of his mind. Jihoon opens his eyes abruptly, gasping hard. Jihoon pushes his palm against his ears, seeking silence. But a moment later all he can hear is the sound of his heart breaking piece by piece.

 

_Brother…_

 

Chocking back a sob, Jihoon lets himself fall into the cold floor.

 

_Now I remember._

 

He isn't shaking anymore, his body numb. There are no tears. Maybe he has no tears left to cry, or maybe he has nothing to cry for. And yet somewhere between the pain and his failing lungs, his heart feels heavy.

 

_Why it has to be like this?_

 

"Daniel is doing a marvelous job at hiding his growing madness from you all these years. Quite a strong boy, that he is." Dongho laughs softly. "But now that he'd get a taste of your blood again, there is a little to no chance to save him. After all, the curse affects anyone but you, Jihoon. And Daniel is no exception."

 

What follows is silence. It stretches over them for a while, leaving shutters across their mouths. He watches Dongho mutely. It feels like he has been sitting there for hours when in reality only seconds have passed. Jihoon tries to keep himself grounding to the earth but fails the moment Dongho opens his mouth again.

 

"So," Jihoon blinks back tears when the pureblood crouches down and brings his face closer. "What should we do now, Park Jihoon?"

 

A pause, and then;

 

"What should we do to save him, hm? Tell me."

 

* * *

_of_

* * *

}{

 

"Dongho, why didn't you kill him?"

 

The black-haired pureblood chooses to not answer, and instead, he drags his eyes across the dark, barren room before his eyes settle into the glowing container in the corner. Inside, a man is smiling at him; an eerily bright smile.

 

"Hey, stop ignoring me~" he says again, this time accompanied with a pout. If it were years ago, Dongho would have fallen hook, line, and sinker into his smile every damn time.

 

(But not now, not again.)

 

Dongho wipes his face harshly and glares at the smiling man. "What do you want, Minhyun?"

 

"Why are you so cold?" he pouts again. "I just don't understand you. Why didn't you kill Jihoon when you had the chance? Wouldn't it better to end everything sooner now the time is almost limited?"

 

"Like you'd almost did ten years ago?" Dongho says sardonically. "Weren't Seongwoo and the rest enough? If I recall, you had so much fun running your sword through them."

 

Minhyun eyes darken. "You know I have no choice, Dongho."

 

He snorts. "Like hell I believe that."

 

Minhyun stares at him for a moment, before a sigh escapes his lips. "You can't be like this, Dongho. Stop being a coward. Aren't you tired living like this?"

 

"I am tired." He agrees with a tight smile. "But I have to keep going. Even if it hurts… even if I want to give up, it's already too late. I'm already too far, aren't I?"

 

"Yes, you've gone too far." he smiles bitterly. "Just like me, I am too, had long reached past my breaking point. It does make us a perfect couple, doesn't it?"

 

Silence washes over them. Dongho walks towards Minhyun with even steps. He is clutching the chest between his fingers. The second he reaches the glass container in which Minhyun is watching him quietly, he snaps it open. When he sees Minhyun's eyes lit up when he sets his sight inside, Dongho smiles bittersweetly.

 

"Can I really save you, Minhyun?" he wonders out loud. "And—"

 

The still beating heart inside the wooden chest is a constant beat inside the quiet room. Dongho closes the chest and puts it on the table beside him before he presses his palm across the freezing glass.

 

"—can we be together this time around?"

 

Minhyun smiles at him sweetly, hand reaching out to touch Dongho's behind the glass.

 

"Just do what I've told you and we'll see, alright?"

 

* * *

_immortals._

* * *

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LISTEN.  
>    
> ONE CHAPTER LEFT. ONE. CHAPTER. LEFT.
> 
> Let us rejoice I’d finally gotten my shit together and finished the chapter lmao. It’s been a rough week with deadlines and getting in and out from the hospital daily that I was losing hope of having time to write *sniffs* Anyway, the secret is out in the open~ What do you think about this chapter??? My head hurt because of the complicated plot but I hope you enjoy this chapter :) The next will be the last chapter, so you guys better prepare yourself for the upcoming roller coaster ride >3
> 
> Ah I’m so excited to finish this one~ After this I’m going to finish my other ongoing fic and then I’ll go hibernate xd. I think I've written to many fics and now it's time for me to stop lol. Thank you so much for the comments/kudos/bookmarks!! Love you all :)


	4. farewell forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel presses his palms against his face, feeling tears starting to gather behind his eyes. He'd been so sure nothing could fix the broken bond between them. So sure that they would never end up together again. So sure that their fate would never collide with each other anymore and he would have to spend the rest of his cursed life alone without his smile.
> 
> (If it’s only a dream,)
> 
> But now Jihoon is here, smiling and looking at him so gently just like he used to and Daniel is so desperate to hold off the truth as long as he can.
> 
> (I don’t want it to end so quickly.)

“—what if I died?”

 

Daniel tilted his head at the question, snorting loudly. “There’s no way that I would ever let that happen.”

 

“I said what if,” Jihoon rolled his eyes. “You’re no fun, seriously.”

 

“Now, that’s really rude, Jihoon-ah.” Daniel sighed at him. “You know that I would never let any harm come upon you. The moment we’d become mates, I’d swore to myself that I will protect you with my life because—”

 

Jihoon’s eyes softened.

 

“—because I am your life,” he cut him off, “Right?”

 

Daniel blinked at him a few times before he leaned forward to give him a soft kiss.

 

“That’s right.”

 

* * *

—[  **a e t e r n u m   v a l e** ]—

                                                             }{                                                               

{ we do not  **fear**  death, but we  **thought**  of death, }  
_remember that i was what you are, and you will be what i am._

_because we are supernovas; 01_  
「kang  **daniel/** park  **jihoon** ; vampire  **au** 」

 }{ 

* * *

c h a p t e r   f o u r  
「farewell forever」 

* * *

}{

 

Jihoon drags himself outside his chamber. Six hours after the mission, Dongho had decided to return back to the capital and brought Jihoon along with him. At first, he had refused him, wrecking havoc all over their hideout but then the pureblood just had to remind him of their arrangement, and he’d no choice but to follow him here.

 

(Here; the place he hates the most.)

 

Letting out a tired sigh, Jihoon picks up his pace again. The castle is as dark as he remembers; its wall dwindling and floors cold. Even though years have passed since the last time he’d stepped inside the palace, he still remembers his way quite well, even though only bits and pieces.

 

He wanders around for hours, relishing in the feeling of cold tiles under his feet before his legs begin to give up on him. After his last turn, Jihoon slides in a deserted balcony he's accidentally come across, bleeding himself into exhaustion.

 

Without him knowing, his eyes wander down into his hand, trailing on the pale blue veins on the inside of his wrist. There are no longer black letters scripted there; the seal undone. And it should have made Jihoon happy, ecstatic even, because it means that he’s gotten his power back; but he feels so restless instead.

 

His fire has always been there since the beginning, and at some point, he’d even regarded it as the deepest, most intrinsic part of him.

 

But now that the truth’s out, Jihoon can’t help but despise his power and everything that came with it.

 

(Can’t help but despise himself for having the curse within.)

 

"What are you doing out here?"

 

Voice echoes behind him, Jihoon turns around, startled.

 

“Daniel…” He takes a long swallow of air and immediately wished he hasn't. Even among the darkness, he can feel his gaze burning through his spine. “Why—Why are you here?”

 

“Surprised?” he asks with a crooked smile. “Didn’t expect to see me again, did you?”

 

Jihoon doesn’t answer him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’d already acknowledged the fact that Daniel’s going to follow him even to the end of the world. Instead, he watches the pureblood from his peripheral vision and notices his red eyes and nose and wonders what happened.

 

But he doesn’t have the courage to ask.

 

“Go back to your chamber.” Jihoon flinches when the pureblood suddenly commands him with a strict glance. “Who told you that you can wander around the castle, hm? I’m sure my brother put a strict rule on you. But—”

 

Jihoon blinks when something soft falls upon his shoulders.

 

“If you’re going to wander out at night, at least wear something warm.”

 

“Ah,” he blinks again. It’s a cloak, he realizes; made from rich velvet and satin. “Thank you.”

 

Daniel looks at him, curious. “Thank you?”

 

“W-What?” he gulps hard.

 

“No, it’s nothing.” he murmurs softly after staring at him for a while. “It’s just been a while since I heard that from your mouth directly.”

 

The words weren’t meant to hurt, but they did anyway. Jihoon drops his head in shame and fights the urge to cry.

 

“I’m sorry.” he murmurs low.

 

“For what?”

 

_Everything._

 

Jihoon hides his face between the valley of his knees. After all, he doesn’t want Daniel to see his pained face.

 

“I don’t know,” he says instead. “I just want to say it once.”

 

Jihoon is exhausted.

 

He doesn’t know how to pretend anymore. He doesn’t know how to act like nothing is wrong or how to retain control when Daniel is literally dying as seconds pass. But one thing that Jihoon knows; Daniel doesn’t deserve this fate.

 

(Daniel doesn’t deserve to die, especially for a cursed being like him.)

 

After a few seconds of deafening silence, Daniel stands up from his seat without a word, and then he’s gone just like a passing breeze. Jihoon doesn’t stop him from leaving, nor he notices the small, sad smile that he’s thrown in his direction.

* * *

}{

.

.

.

.

.

 

 

Jihoon has been avoiding him at all cost.

 

He spent his wake time entirely in his chamber, refusing to move even a step from his bed. A couple of servants were often seen entering his room to bring him food and water, probably under Dongho’s instruction. Seongwoo also had visited him multiple times to check on him. But besides that, Jihoon had no contact with the outside world.

 

Well, until now.

 

He doesn’t know what possessed him to seek that place again. But his feet are walking on their own. And the moment he steps into that very same balcony two months later, he finds him there.

 

_Daniel…_

 

“What are you doing here again, Park Jihoon?”

 

Unlike two months ago, Daniel’s gaze is cold and piercing. He’s wearing his royal attire and between his fingers rest a bucket of magnolias; pristine white in color unlike the dark of his eyes.

 

Jihoon looks at the flowers in sadness. He remembers that Daniel used to gift him a bucket full of magnolias everytime they were in bloom back in their childhood. He’d picked them himself from the garden he was tending and said that they were really pretty and they reminded the older male of him. And—

 

“I told you to stop roaming around the castle,” Jihoon snaps out from his thoughts when Daniel gives him an icy glare. “Go back to your chamber now.”

 

Jihoon doesn’t answer him. He walks toward the pureblood and stops when they’re only a step apart. “Are you—Are you going somewhere?”

 

Daniel narrows his brow before he regards him with a sneer.

 

“It doesn’t matter, isn’t it?”

 

His voice is perfectly without emotion, simply matter of fact. Somehow, that hurts Jihoon a little; even though he knows that he deserves it. He wants to say that it does matter and wants to keep him from going but most of all he wants to jab him in the ribs for that careless comment had stabbed him in the heart—but stops himself in time because it’s totally unreasonable for him to do so, right?

 

“Where are you going?” he repeats, his voice shaking badly. “Tell me.”

 

“You don’t have to know.” Daniel’s eyes soften when Jihoon flinches at the cold answer. “Go back inside. It’s getting late.”

 

Jihoon goes perfectly still. He doesn’t know why, but he has a bad feeling about this.

      

>   _"_ _His time is ticking.”_

 

“I’ll be going, Jihoon.” Daniel pulls a smile, but it looks so bitter that Jihoon has to close his eyes for a moment least he spills everything out. “Goodbye.”

    

>   _“He’s on the brink of death, Jihoon.”_

 

Daniel widens his eyes when Jihoon reaches out to grab his coat.

   

>  " _That’s why you have to choose.”_

 

“Jihoon…?”

 

Jihoon bites back a sob and wonders what to say. But his mind is in chaos, and his mouth is getting dry.

 

“Just—be safe.”

 

Daniel blinks at him several times, and he’s looking at him strangely as if he’s seeing him for the first time. But then he sighs softly to himself and drops his palm on Jihoon’s head.

 

“I will.”

* * *

}{

.

.

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.

.

 

Jihoon tries not to show any emotion when a maid enters his chamber to leave a tray of food on a table for him. He wants to pick it up and hurl it at the wall in an act of defiance but then decides that it doesn’t worth his time. The half-blood waits until she’s left again before he slithers out the room silently.

 

The palace is enormous. Jihoon notices that he can easily get lost there if he isn’t careful enough.

 

But he needs to find someone, and he knows that he’s somewhere inside this castle.

 

He can smell him near, just a few turns ahead and—

 

“Omph!” Jihoon closes his eyes when he’s suddenly collided with something hard. He braces himself for the upcoming impact, but strangely, he doesn’t feel any pain.

 

“J-Jihoon?”

 

Jihoon looks up at the sound of his name and finds Seongwoo hovering over him in concern, his long arms around his waist. “What are you doi—This kid, don’t tell me you sneak out again?!”

 

“Seongwoo-hyung!” Jihoon exclaims in relief, “I found you!”

 

“Answer my question first you little devil,” The noble vampire pinches his cheek in exasperation. “And what do you mean by that? Were you searching for me?”

 

“Yes, I’m searching for you.” he affirms with a nod. “I want to ask something.”

 

Seongwoo looks at him, curious. “What is it?”

 

“Daniel,” he pauses for a while, suddenly a little nervous. But then Jihoon looks up at him again and steels his eyes. “Where could I find him?”

 

The noble vampire doesn’t answer him; his lips tightly shut. But Jihoon can see the awareness hiding behind his eyes and the uneasy feeling from back when Daniel left him surfaces yet again.

 

Jihoon doesn’t like the feeling.

 

(It suffocates him.)

 

“Seongwoo-hyung!” Jihoon claws at the material of his cloak. “Answer me!”

 

Instead of answering, Seongwoo runs his hands over Jihoon’s shoulders, his jaw clenching and unclenching. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you.”

 

“Why?” Jihoon looks up at his towering form in desperation. “I—I need to see him. There’s something that I have to tell him. Please, hyung—”

 

“Daniel told me that he doesn’t want to see you,” Seongwoo bites out those words like they are poison. “I’m sorry, but you need to go back to your chamber right now.”

 

Seongwoo begins to push him to the direction of his bedroom. Jihoon trashes against his iron grip, but the noble vampire keeps him in place. After his third attempt to free himself failed, Jihoon lets Seongwoo have his way with him, feeling useless. But just before they can move further into the castle, a sound of nearing footsteps begin to echo among the silent hallway.

 

“Oh thank god,” A tall figure appears at the end of the hallway. “There you are! I’ve been searching for hours you bastard!”

 

Jihoon feels Seongwoo stiffen up. Curious, he tilts his head around to look at the intruder, but his eyes are soon covered by Seongwoo’s large palm.

 

“Don’t look,” he whispers into his ears.

 

Jihoon flinches, his hand automatically lands itself across Seongwoo’s and begins to tug. “Get your hands off of me!”

 

“Seongwoo? What are you doing?” The stranger is walking towards them, Jihoon can feel it. “Who’s that?”

 

“Don’t come here!” Jihoon jumps in shock when Seongwoo’s voice suddenly turns dark and demanding. “Go! I’ll follow you later!”

 

“What the fuck are you saying? We need to go now!” he barks out. “Daniel’s losing control again and the retainers can’t hold him off for so long!”

 

Jihoon feels his blood run cold. “D-Daniel?”

 

With all his strength, Jihoon breaks out from Seongwoo’s iron grip. And when he opens his eyes fully and catches the face of someone he’s long forgotten, Jihoon doesn’t bother to hide his hysteria anymore.

 

_So he’s not lying, after all._

 

“Kim Jaehwan….”

 

The grief is tight in his throat, and he feels like running away when Jaewhan zeroes his pupils right into his shaking ones.

 

“You’re alive.”

* * *

 }{

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.

.

.

.

 

Daniel feels the bones under his palm break. A thrill runs through him when he feels another snap under the pressure of his fingers. Someone is screaming again. But he doesn’t care. Killing is—

 

(Well, it’s the easiest thing for him now.)

 

After releasing the still corpse into the floor, Daniel picks up his weapon from a mass of dust littering beneath him. He prepares himself for yet another strike, but before he can move, something comes barreling into his back.

 

_Who?_

 

A strained cry suddenly echoes inside the dim-lighted underground. It bounces off the walls until it's a cacophony of noise. Daniel freezes when the familiar smell of rain and citrus begins to assault his senses.

 

_Jihoon…?_

 

“Stop it, Daniel.” The arms around his chest are trembling, “Don’t kill again. I beg you, please, no more.”

 

They stand there for a while, his back against Jihoon’s chest and his arms around Daniel’s torso. He can feel his heartbeat traveling into his back and under his skin.

 

But then their contact has to end when Jihoon lets out a pained sob, all at once collapsing in on himself as he slides down to the ground.

 

When he no longer feels Jihoon’s warm presence, Daniel turns around and crouches down in front of him. He thinks that Jihoon looks small and helpless as he kneels, so lost and alone and he wants to kiss him because he’s Jihoon and everything about Jihoon drives him crazy.

 

_Why are you making such a sad face?_

 

“Please, listen to me,” Jihoon begs; his voice shaking. “You need to fight it. You _have_ to.”

 

As if he’s pulled out from a spell, Daniel jerks back and falls to the ground. Something heavy begins to well up in his chest, making him sick in the stomach.

 

“Daniel…” The half-blood looks at him, and there are fresh tears in his red-rimmed eyes. “Daniel are you there? Can you listen to me?”

 

His hand moves to wipe the tears, but Daniel stops himself in time when he remembers that he’s still wearing his bloodstained gloves. He sheds the material from his skin before he cups Jihoon’s face between his large palms, apologies weaving themselves behind the line of his lips.

“I’m sorry, please don’t cry,” he manages to say, “I’m here. I can hear you.”

 

Something painful settles in his heart when he sees the way Jihoon’s eyes fill with more tears.

 

“Thank god,” Jihoon throws his arms around him and pulls him into an embrace. “You’re here. You’re okay.”

 

Daniel feels his own eyes begin to water, his vision blurring for a while before it focuses on Jihoon’s trembling back.

 

_I’m so sorry, Jihoon-ah._

* * *

 }{

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.

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.

.

 

As he shuts the door behind him, Daniel catches Jihoon as the younger male stumbles on his feet, clutching at him tightly. He easily picks up his crying mate and carries him over to the tub before he turns on the tap. After making sure that he’s comfortable, Daniel joins him inside, settling his shivering body on his lap. Lukewarm water soon fills the tub and begins to wash the blood from their skin. Soothingly, Daniel runs his fingers through Jihoon’s dark hair, feeling him tremble under his touch.

 

“Hey,” Daniel whispers softly. “Stop crying already.”

 

That only makes him sob harder.

 

Jihoon buries his head into the middle of Daniel’s chest and lets his tears soak into the material of his shirt which is smeared with blood. Almost immediately, the pureblood takes off his blood-streaked shirt and flings it into the floor and proceeds to do the same with Jihoon.

 

Daniel doesn’t like the thought of having him stained with blood.

 

It reminds him of that gruesome night from ten years ago.

 

(The memory flashes; wide-eyed Jihoon with blood smeared across his skin; begging him to stop. His trembling arms around his chest. His tears; in the middle of his back. His mouth; opened in silent scream. _Stop it, don’t kill him_ ; he begged.)

 

Daniel remembers it all, and it still hurts.

 

It hurts because Jihoon had seen the darkest part of him just like two months ago. That part he wanted to hide so badly from him; now it’s out in the open, all laid bare for the whole world to see.

 

_He must have been so afraid_ , Daniel thinks.

 

“Are you…” he begins with shaking voice. “…afraid of me?”

 

Jihoon shakes his head and tightens his grip around his torso. Daniel raises his hand to touch him automatically, warm fingers closing over the cool, wet skin of his upper arms. He then wraps his long arms around him, one hand on the back of his head pressing his face into his neck, the other around his waist holding him close to him. Sighing, he leans back into the wall and lets the running tap fill the tub until they are thoroughly soaked in lukewarm water.

 

Daniel doesn’t really know what to do.

 

So he holds the younger male silently, waiting for him to stop crying. And ten minutes later, Jihoon’s painful cries finally have toned down into small hiccups. His body no longer shaking, but he’s still perched against Daniel’s exposed chest, refusing to move.

 

“Let’s get you dressed, okay?” he murmurs against his head. He can’t have him getting sick right now. His mate isn’t a full-blooded vampire, and his resistance is weaker than most human he’d ever met. “Jihoon-ah, hang on me.”

 

After making sure that they are fully rid of blood and dirt, Daniel pulls the bath plug and lets the murky water drain from the tub. Pulling Jihoon’s weight into him, Daniel lifts him up, holding his much smaller body snugly inside his arms in a princess-like cradle. He then walks towards the bed and settles his limp body there.

 

Daniel lends him one of his shirt and Jihoon takes it within the small of his hands, his eyes on him now. Step by step, he coaxes the younger male into the material. When he’s about to slip his arm inside the sleeve, Daniel’s gaze accidentally lands across Jihoon’s exposed shoulder and then his thirst has to kick in, has to ruin every self-control he has built around his heart.

 

And yet he restrains himself; tells himself that this isn’t the time to lost control. And he manages to keep his cool even though his blood is screaming at him to just sink his fangs into Jihoon’s neck and drink from him.

 

(But he can’t afford to hurt him again. Not after everything he’d put him through.)

 

"I’m fine," Jihoon suddenly croaks out. “So stop looking at me like that.”

 

Daniel bites the inside of his mouth, nervousness clawing at the pit of his stomach. But he still continues to dress the younger male gently, buttoning up the shirt with trembling fingers.

 

“Daniel,” he almost jumps when Jihoon leans forward to level their eyes, his blue eyes gleaming beautifully among the dim-lighted room. “Are you—Are you okay now?”

 

Jihoon is calm, frighteningly so. He should be having some kind of breakdown; should be screaming at him; anything but calm.

 

(But ever since he’d gotten him out from the water, the half-blood has been unnaturally still, and it makes him uneasy.)

 

“Yeah,” he croaks out. “I am.”

 

“Good,” Jihoon shudders. “That’s—good.”

 

Daniel swallows hard, his throat suddenly feels dry. Something is wrong with him. He wants to run away; far, _far_ away from him and this suffocating feeling inside his chest but—

 

But how could he when Jihoon is looking at him like that?

 

Daniel doesn’t know who took the first move, but now they are almost a finger apart, their breaths mingling into one. It’s not in his intention to lean forward and press their lips together, moreover to slip his tongue inside Jihoon’s warm cavern, but it’s too late for that.

 

Daniel has no control over himself right now; his feeling bursting out in seams against his chest.

 

_God, I missed you so much._

 

They kiss for what seemed like hours, what may as well be eternity. Daniel manages to slide himself on top of Jihoon and latches his mouth on his bare shoulder.

 

“Ngh,” Jihoon muffles his moan against Daniel’s collarbones. “N-Not there—”

 

The moist rasp of his tongue collides against his neck, but instead of biting down, Daniel sucks on the skin until it turns bright red. There is no bloodlust. All he can feel is the longing that he has been keeping for all these years.

 

“A-Ah, Daniel.. h-hyung…”

 

Long moments later, Daniel stops and lifts his mouth from his neck only to latch it against the soft skin of his collarbones. He begins to suck another spot there, tongue sweeping up all traces of tears on his skin then pressing gently to leave another mark close to his chest.

 

Daniel hears the younger male let out another strangled moan. His heart begins to pound loud against his ears. He wonders if Jihoon could feel his pain and self-loathing within every brush of his lips. If he could, somehow, feel the desperation clawing at the corner of his heart.

    

>   _“You murderer!”_

 

He’s about to leave another mark across Jihoon’s skin when the memories begin to resurface again. Daniel suddenly remembers every pain he’d inflicted on him; remembers every tears and sorrow he’d brought into his eyes. The pureblood lifts his head, eyes burning with tears.

 

_No, this is wrong._

 

Jihoon looks dazed; his breaths coming in gasps as he clutches at Daniel’s broad shoulder with one hand while the other rests against his bare chest.

 

“Why,” he murmurs softly, face red and eyes unfocused. “Why did you stop?”

 

“I—I’m sorry,” Daniel stutters, “I’m not—”

 

“Don’t stop, please.” Jihoon cuts him off with a whisper, clinging to Daniel tighter when he tries to pry him away. “I want you, Daniel.”

 

“N-No, it’s not supposed to be like this.” his voice wavers before he picks it up again, trying not to look more pathetic than he already has. “You’re going to regret it. I know that you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life so let’s—let’s just stop here, okay?”

 

“I won’t regret it,” he says firmly. “Please, Daniel.”

 

Daniel looks at him, the corners of his lips curling up in dark amusement.

 

_Please, he said?_

 

He bends down, a hysteric little bubble of laughter bursting in his chest. Daniel doesn’t fucking understand what’s wrong with him.

 

_Why are you suddenly act like nothing happened?_

 

“What are you saying? I killed him, remember?” Daniel asks. A laugh or two escaped from his mouth, and yet he sounds like he’s trying to not choke on his tears instead. “I killed your brother, Jihoon. I killed everyone you loved. I’m a murderer! You’re supposed to hate me!”

 

Silence comes between them. There is no sound except the rushing heartbeat in his ears, and Daniel notices that Jihoon has gone unnaturally still. But then Jihoon suddenly looks up, and there is pure and utter despair drawn sharply in his pale features.

 

“You’re right,” he says in a whisper. “I fucking _hate_ you, Kang Daniel. I hate you with every fiber of my being but—”

 

Tears begin to fall down from his eyes, and yet he still looks beautiful in Daniel’s eyes.

 

“But I can’t help loving nobody but _you_.”

 

Daniel looks at him in shock, seeming to see him for the first time.

 

“I love you so much that it hurts. Even right now, when you’re only a breath away, there’s still a wall separating the two of us and I _hate_ that. I hate the thought of not being with you again so tell me, what should I do? What should I do now, Daniel?!” he punches his chest hard, then looks at him with tears in his eyes. “What should I do now…?”

 

_Jihoon…_

 

Daniel feels his body moving on its own. Without a word, he pushes Jihoon against the bed and claims his lips once more. He can feel his arms tightening around him instinctively as he falls backward into the soft mattress. Daniel kisses him with everything he has as he tries to fight the sobs that threaten to overcome him.

 

_Please don't let this be a dream._

 

As the dusk dips into silence, all Daniel can hear is Jihoon’s soft whines against his bitten lips. Daniel stops a moment to appreciate the way he writhes beneath him, eyes and skin burning with want. And when their lips meet again for the umpteenth time that night, Daniel can’t help but to hold him close and feel his warmth against his cold skin.

 

_I don't want to wake up, if it is._

 

“I’m sorry,” he breaks their kiss apart and buries his face in the crook of Jihoon’s neck. “I’m sorry for hurting you, for making you cry—”

 

And Daniel looks at him then, tears in his eyes.

 

“I’m sorry, for making you love a monster like me.”

 

Jihoon’s eyes begin to glisten with tears again. “Daniel-hyung…”

 

“I’m sorry for many things,” Daniel drops his head in shame and fights the urge to cry. “But I want you to know that everything that I’ve done, I’ve done it for you.”

 

Silence comes between them. Daniel looks up only to find Jihoon smiling at him; a small, sincere smile that reaches his eyes.

 

_So beautiful…_

 

“Stupid hyung,” Jihoon whispers softly, voice trembling with emotion. “Stop apologizing and kiss me again.”

 

Daniel feels himself smile. He moves down to kiss the tears from the corner of his eye—

 

_“As you wish,”_

 

—and that night they made love on his bed like the old time.

* * *

 }{

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Daniel stares at the unconscious boy beside him, lying on his stomach, the blanket draped over his lower half. He leans down to kiss the top of his head, before he walks towards the window. He slightly parts the dark curtain, letting moonlight bathe the room once more with its glow.

 

"Daniel?"

 

His voice flutters softly against his earlobe, making him aware of reality once more. Daniel returns to the bed and sees the younger male blinking up at him sleepily. He's definitely still half-asleep, but there's a softness to his eyes that makes his heart twist.

 

"You’re awake?” Daniel whispers quietly and opens his arms wide, urging the younger to come closer. “Here, Jihoon-ah.”

 

Jihoon blinks twice at him before he ducks his head and moves slowly to settle himself inside his arms. He’s almost bare save for the satin blanket wrapped around his torso and Daniel has to restrain himself from marking him again when their skin accidentally brushed against each other. After Jihoon is comfortable, silence pretty much falls between them. He stares at Jihoon absentmindedly and finds himself lost inside his tantalizing sapphire orbs.

 

_His eyes haven't changed a bit. Just like the sky._

 

"Daniel?" he smiles when Jihoon’s small finger moves to poke his cheek. “You’re okay there?”

 

The pureblood hums absentmindedly, tugging Jihoon close until his face is stuffed against his broad chest.

 

“Daniel-hyung?”

 

He blinks at that. “Hyung?”

 

“What?” Jihoon narrows his brow when Daniel pushes him gently from his chest to set his wide eyes on him. “Stop staring at me like that.”

 

“Just surprised.” Daniel grins and steals a kiss from his lips. "You finally called me hyung again."

 

Jihoon stiffens from the sudden contact, but then relaxes into his body, wrapping himself in his warmth.

 

"Am I not allowed to?" he murmurs quietly, resting his head under his chin. Jihoon’s voice is a bit muffled by his position stuffed against Daniel’s chest, but he can hear him perfectly anyway. “You don’t like it?”

 

Daniel doesn’t answer him, but his grip around his waist tightens.

 

“Yah, answer me,” Jihoon grumbles against his chest. “Kang Daniel.”

 

“It just… reminds me of the old times.” Daniel opens his mouth after a while. “Do you still remember when we played together until late night, and Minhyun-hyung had to search for us because we didn’t turn up for dinner? You kept crying out _‘Don’t be mad at Daniel-hyung!’_ while holding my hand like it was your lifeline when he was scolding me for not taking a good care of you.”

 

Jihoon looks up and smiles wistfully as his eyes stare into the distance. "He was so mad at us," he whispers, pressing his head back to his chest. “His face was so red I thought that he’s going to burst.”

 

“He looked exactly like a boiled crab,” Daniel says with a small laugh. “It was so funny that we started laughing for hours even when he’s begging us to keep it low. Even now I want to laugh when I remember it. His expression was so hilarious.”

 

"Yeah." Jihoon pauses for a moment, drawing a tender smile. "You’re right."

 

There is silence again, no one dares to utter a word. Daniel feels the need to say something; anything, but his voice won’t come out.

 

“If you’re going to apologize again, then please don’t say anything,” Jihoons says before Daniel can open his mouth. “I told you that we’re going to begin all over again. I’m willing to leave everything behind, so you should too.”

 

“But I’m—”

    

>   _“Let’s forget everything, hyung. I want to begin again; together with you.”_

 

Daniel stops himself in time, swallowing his words back into his throat. He rests his chin on Jihoon’s head and lets his eyelids fall shut, taking in the vanilla and lavender scent of his hair.

 

_Is this real?_

 

He breathes in, then out.

 

_Are you real?_

 

It honestly feels too good to be true. But Daniel misses this; he misses the feeling of having Jihoon close. And he’s not going to let the chance slip away from his grasp again.

 

(Not when he’s only got a little time to spare.)

 

Daniel takes a calming breath.

 

_This is it._

 

“I—I accidentally found a small house by the shore in Busan.” Daniel begins softly, “It’s far away from the capital, and the scenery is really beautiful.”

 

There’s no movement from beneath him. Daniel holds his breath and continues again.

 

“It has an open view to the sea. It also has a small greenhouse and a mini garden. We can grow flowers there… maybe magnolias? They’re your favorite, right? And the balcony! It’s huge, you know? We can stargaze and watch the sunset together like we used to, every time you want. Just you and me…” he trails off, feeling emotional all of sudden. “When everything is over… we can live there for the rest of our life.”

 

A muffled voice echoes. “Just the two of us?”

 

“Yeah?” Daniel gulps down, trying hard to not look down and catch Jihoon’s expression right now. “Would you—w-would you like that?”

 

“Do you still need to ask?” Jihoon chuckles softly and looks up to smile at him. “I’d love to spend the rest of my life with you, Daniel.”

 

Daniel blinks at him, or more specifically, at his unpredictable answer before he snaps out of it to stare at Jihoon in amazement. This dream of theirs is too farfetched, he knows. He’s the second prince of the empire and Jihoon’s nothing but an anomaly that was shunned by their society.

 

(Anything can go wrong.)

 

But when he sees the honestly in Jihoon’s eyes, so clear and unyielding; Daniel can’t help but feel content.

 

_No, I will not cry now._

 

“Hyung,” Jihoon looks at him in amusement. “Are you seriously going to cry?”

 

“I’m not.” he rebukes pathetically, voice shaking a bit. “I just have something in my eyes.”

 

Jihoon looks at him wistfully. “You haven’t changed, have you?”

 

“I said I’m not crying,” Daniel says stubbornly.

 

“Sure, hyung.” The younger male giggles softly at the blatant lie. “Whatever you say.”

 

Daniel presses his palms against his face, feeling tears starting to gather behind his eyes. He'd been so sure nothing could fix the broken bond between them. So sure that they would never end up together again. So sure that their fate would never collide with each other anymore and he would have to spend the rest of his cursed life alone without his smile.

 

_If it’s only a dream,_

 

But now Jihoon is here, smiling and looking at him so gently just like he used to and Daniel is so desperate to hold off the truth as long as he can.

 

_I don’t want it to end so quickly._

 

“Can we adopt cats too?” Daniel suddenly blurts out, smiling wide when Jihoon begins to scowl at him. “I’ve always wanted to have some.”

 

Jihoon huffs. “You ruined the atmosphere, idiot.”

 

“Eh, sorry Jihoon-ah.” he scratches his cheek sheepishly. “I’m just very excited. Don’t mind me.”

 

“You and your weird obsession with cats.” Jihoon snorts. “Thank god pets are forbidden inside the palace. Or else it would have been taken over by those balls of fur that you like so much.”

 

“Don’t insult my love for cats. They’re cute.” Daniel pouts, and after a thought or two, adds; “Just like you.”

 

Jihoon glares at him in fury. “Kang Daniel, what did you say?”

 

“I’m joking!” Daniel laughs when Jihoon moves forward to launch himself at him with a battle cry. “W-Wait, stop that Jihoon-ah! I’m sorry! O-Ow!”

 

Jihoon climbs on top his stomach and begins to tickle him, eyes bright with suppressed laughter. “Take this you cat maniac!”

 

But before Daniel can scream another cry of defeat, the door suddenly bursts open with a loud bang.

* * *

 }{

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It’s Seongwoo at the door, jaws hanging open and eyes wide; shell-shocked.

 

“What the fuck Seongwoo,” Jihoon hears Daniel curse loudly. “At least knock first before you enter idiot!”

 

Jihoon’s face begins to heat up when Seongwoo stares at them in shock, mouth still gaping wide. “W-Wha—”

 

“Stop staring and get out you pervert!” Daniel strikes again, launching his pillow at his frozen body. “Oy, are you listening to me?!”

 

That seems to wake him out from his stupor. Seongwoo gulps down hard and turns around, running at full force into the door. “Oh my god my eyes!”

 

Daniel hisses at his disappearing form. “What the fuck is wrong with him.”

 

Jihoon doesn’t answer him, his hand busy roaming around the bed. When he finds one of Daniel’s shirts under the pile of blankets, Jihoon immediately flings the material around his bare body and starts buttoning it up. Besides him, Daniel begins doing the same, his usually pale face now flushed with anger and embarrassment.

 

After they are fully dressed, Daniel takes his hand gently and smiles reassuringly at him. “Don’t be nervous, okay? Seongwoo is a friend, after all.”

 

“Yeah,” Jihoon manages to nod his head, cheeks flushed red. “I know.”

 

When he walks out from the door, Jihoon braces himself for the teasing.

 

But instead of Seongwoo’s smug face and knowing smirk, it’s the face that kept haunting Jihoon’s mind for the past months that greets him outside their chamber.

 

“J-Jonghyun-hyung,” Jihoon tightens his grip on Daniel’s hand, seeking strength and reassurance. “What… are you doing here?”

 

Jonghyun blinks at their entwined hands, realization passing behind his eyes before he carves a smile as if nothing happened in the first place. “Hello, Jihoon-ah,”

 

“It’s about that chest, isn’t it?” he suddenly asks, not wanting to waste any time. “Are you here to demand it back?”

 

“No,” a deep voice answers him. Jihoon realizes that Seongwoo hasn’t left after all. “It’s too late for that.”

 

“What do you mean?” Daniel finally opens his mouth. “Is something wrong?”

 

Jonghyun eyes him sadly, and fear begins to crawl up his arms.

 

“There will be war, Jihoon-ah.”

 

Jihoon freezes.

 

“W-What do you mean? What happened?”

 

“The higher-ups heard about your betrayal,” he whispers. “And they are furious.”

 

A pause.

 

“They want _revenge_.”

* * *

 }{

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Daniel watches Jihoon’s shoulders shake as he leaves the room. He wipes his face harshly and lets out a tired sigh.

 

Just when he thought that everything would be alright, something like this has to happen in their life.

 

_Why?_

 

“I will take care of him,” Seongwoo’s voice wakes him up from his thoughts. “Call us if you need something.”

 

“Thank you, hyung.” he smiles at him gratefully. “I’ll leave him in your care.”

 

Jonghyun had requested to talk with him in private as soon as he saw how shaken up Jihoon’d become, and if there’s something Daniel couldn’t ignore, it would be that look in his eyes.

 

_Why are you looking at me like that?_

 

After they disappear, Jonghyun’s smile drops from his face. He turns around slowly and regards Daniel with a cold glare. “Which side are you on?”

 

Daniel stares back at him, crimson eyes suddenly blaring to life. “Do you still need to ask?”

 

“I still can’t trust you fully!” Jonghyun hisses low.

 

“For god’s sake,” Daniel curses under his breath. “If you don’t trust me, then why did you leave Jihoon under my care months ago?”

 

“That was a different case.” The hunter snarls. “You're the only one who could take his pain away. I have no choice but to trust you. Now answer me, Kang Daniel; which side are you on?”

 

Instead of answering, Daniel dugs into his dress shirt and pulls out a silver chain with a cross pendant dangling on its hook. He brings it closer to Jonghyun’s face and watches his face morph into realization.

 

“That talisman…” Jonghyun lowers his eyes, his voice tinged with sadness. “Minhyun gave it to you?”

 

“Yeah,” he bites out. “Just before he’d lost his mind completely, Minhyun-hyung gave this to me and made me promise to protect Jihoon with my life. And I will keep that promise to my grave, no matter what happens.”

 

There’s something different in the way Jonghyun looks at him now. “Do you promise that you will be on his side? That you will protect him with your life?”

 

“I’ve _always_ been on his side, Kim Jonghyun,” he says quietly. “Jihoon is my mate. He’s my whole _life_. Even a decade couldn’t change that fact.”

 

At that moment, Daniel's eyes change briefly into a shade of amethyst as if to respond to the sudden rise of emotion in his chest. Jonghyun stares at him in shock, face paling into translucence, before he breaks out from his stupor to grip Daniel’s shoulder with all his might.

“WHO GAVE YOU THOSE PILLS?!”

 

“What the fu—let go of me!” Daniel hisses when Jonghyun’s grip tightens even more. “I don’t fucking understand what are you talking about!”

 

Jonghyun looks at him in confusion. “W-What?”

 

Daniel glares at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“Oh god,” he whispers, staggering back. “How could I not notice it? The signs were everywhere. Fuck, I’m such a fool.”

 

Jonghyun shakes his head multiple times, then stares at Daniel with pity.

 

“He tricked you too, didn’t he?”

 

Daniel freezes.

 

“I thought all this time you’re on his side.” Jonghyun says, laughing in disbelief. “But I was wrong. You’re just another pawn; another sacrifice for that bastard. To think that he used his own brother like this… he truly is a monster.”

 

There is a pause. Jonghyun moves to stand in front of Daniel; a small, sad smile making its way to his lips.

 

“Your brother; he’s the one behind everything.” Jonghyun murmurs. “I don’t know what lies he’s been feeding you for the past ten years, but that gruesome night which changed our lives forever was the result of his selfishness.”

 

Daniel can’t help but stare at Jonghyun in disbelief. There’s no way that he’s telling the truth, right?

 

“How dare you talk about my brother like that.” The pureblood hisses. “It’s all because of the council. Those old fuckers were the one at fault. If not for them—”

 

“No—no, listen to me. They were nothing but his pawns, Daniel.” Jonghyun cuts him off. “Dongho was the one who ordered them to abduct Jihoon ten years ago, and he was also the one who made Minhyun turn into that— _that_ monster. He’d almost tricked me too, but—”

 

“W-Wait, what are you talking about?” Daniel grips his hair in frustration. “My brother is a bastard, but there’s no way that he would ever—”

 

Jonghyun yanks Daniel by the collar of his shirt to stare at him in determination.

 

“You know that Minhyun was dying because of the curse in his blood. Sooner or later he would die because of that curse, and I accepted the cruel truth even though it hurt. But your brother—he couldn’t accept that.” Jonghyun croaks out. “Dongho couldn’t accept the world where Minhyun was gone. That’s why he’d abandoned everything and turned into dark magic. And not for long, he finally found it. He found the way to keep him alive.”

 

Daniel feels his blood run cold.

 

“To keep Minhyun alive, he himself had to kill Jihoon and drink from him as a blood sacrifice.” Jonghyun stares at him in determination. _“A life for a life;_ it was an old ritual that hadn’t been practiced for eons because of its severe consequences, but your brother didn’t care. All he cared was how to keep Minhyun from leaving him forever, even it meant that he’d to sacrifice Jihoon in the process.”

  

“It—It doesn’t make sense.” Daniel shakes his head, pupils dilating wild. “I drank from Jihoon twice and look at me now! Are you trying to fool me?”

 

“No, Daniel. That’s where you went wrong.” Jonghyun shakes his head, smiling sadly. “Jihoon’s blood wasn’t the one who made you like this.”

 

_Huh?_

 

“Dongho gave you those pills, didn’t he?” he whispers. “Those pills that he gave to Minhyun… he gave it to you too, right?”

* * *

}{

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Kang Dongho had loved Hwang Minhyun, once upon the time.

 

He was dying then because of the cursed blood inside his veins and Dongho couldn’t accept that. He couldn’t accept the world where he was gone because he loved him so much and the thought of not having him by his side was too painful. It made him turn his back completely against the capital’s warning and began immersing himself in dark magic. And after all the hard work he’d put in his research, he finally found it.

 

Dongho found the only thing that could save him from dying.

 

No, not a thing, but a person.

 

(A life for a life.)

 

To save Minhyun, he needed to sacrifice another life in exchange for his, and it was no other than his own brother. His brother whose blood was unique; whose blood was enough to guarantee him another chance at life. But Minhyun loved Jihoon—loved him like his own and there’s no way that he would willingly kill his brother, so Dongho _had_ to make him. He gave those pills to Minhyun and told them that they could keep his curse from spreading, but it was nothing but a lie.

 

Those pills were the cause of everything.

 

He’d thought that it would be okay. Those pills were going to consume him and control his bloodlust until he’d killed Jihoon. After that he would regain his sanity again; would return to his senses—

 

But he was wrong.

 

Dongho still remembers it so clearly. How Minhyun’d went berserk and attempted to kill Jihoon. The glowing marks on his skin and the darkness behind his orbs; they were forever burned inside his memory.

 

(Even if he dies, Dongho thinks that he could never forget it.)

 

His plan was almost succeeded back then. But before Minhyun could deliver the last blow, Daniel saved Jihoon. Dongho was about to lose his mind when he heard that his own brother had killed the person he loved the most. But he—he didn’t really kill Minhyun. Daniel didn’t pierce him in the heart. So even though his body disappeared, his heart was still there.

 

_Still beating._

 

So Dongho tried again. With that heart, he managed to bring Minhyun back to life, even though the curse had already taken him over and he was nothing but the shell of his former self.

 

(But it was still Minhyun. He couldn’t give him up. He couldn’t just let him die.)

 

But before he could complete the ritual, someone managed to steal Minhyun’s heart and hide it from the world. And for years, that person foolishly thought that he could keep it that way.

 

Dongho smiles bitterly. “You’re stupid if you thought that you could hide it from me, Kim Jonghyun.”

 

The pureblood looks towards the glowing container in the middle of the room with blank eyes. There is no longer a person there; only murky water and the neon light which still glows bright even after he left.

 

He sighs and asks himself again, maybe for the hundred time;

 

_Is it worth it?_

 

Is it worth it to kill Daniel and Jihoon, just because of his selfishness?

 

He’d fooled Jihoon into thinking that his blood was the one who cursed Daniel to when in fact it was him. It was his pills; his madness that turned Daniel into the like of Minhyun. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Dongho regrets doing such a thing to his own blood and flesh. But Daniel is a threat to his plan and Dongho—

 

(Dongho can’t afford to fail again.)

 

He smiles bittersweetly to himself. “Love is truly dangerous, after all.”

 

Ten years have passed since that gruesome night, and yet Dongho can feel the guilt fresh in his bones. He was old then, but definitely older now. So old and jaded and so, so tired. Everything he’d done, it was all for Minhyun’s sake.

 

(Or that’s what he told himself.)

 

A clatter on the door startles him from his thoughts. Dongho turns around, eyes widening when he catches the figure standing at the entrance of the room.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

The figure smiles.

 

“It’s not enough.”

 

Dongho stands up from his chair. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

 

“It’s not enough… I need more…. so thirsty…” A soft murmur echoes inside the quiet room. “Give me more…”

 

“Why… are you looking at me like that?”

 

The pureblood takes a step forward.

 

“M-Minhyun?”

* * *

 }{

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Daniel can’t really make sense of anything, so he settles on the raw confusion at the tip of his tongue. “Then for what reason I’ve been killing all this time?” he lets out a broken laugh. “For what reason did I kill when everything that I know is nothing but a lie?”

 

Jonghyun looks at him in pity.

 

“I dirtied my hand. I let them bathe in those blood I despised but—” now his laugh is a full-blown laughter. “But it’s for nothing. All for nothing.”

 

_I left Jihoon for nothing._

 

“Tell me,” Daniel whispers. “What should I do now?”

 

“Honestly? I don’t know either.” Jonghyun sends him a sad smile. “But our top priority is to escape from this place as soon as possible. We’ll think about the rest when we find a safe place.”

 

Daniel stops suddenly, dread flickering inside his eyes.

 

“No,”

 

The hunter blinks at him. “W-What?”

 

“I’m staying here,” Daniel lets out a harsh breath. “You take Jihoon away; anywhere, as far as possible.”

 

“But—”

 

“I know my brother… if anything you said was true, then I need to stay and finish them off,” Daniel says with a frighteningly calm voice. “I have to make sure that Jihoon’s life isn’t in danger, so I beg you, _please_ , protect Jihoon in my place.”

 

Jonghyun looks at him in shock. “You…” 

 

“Please,” Daniel bows down at him. “This is my first and last request for you.”

 

“Okay—I’ll do it.” Jonghyun gulps down. “I’ll take Jihoon away from here. But you have to promise me that you’ll follow us soon. Jihoon will be devastated if you disappear again from his life again.”

 

The pureblood blinks at him before he shakes his head fondly. “He’ll be just fine.”

 

“How could you know?”

 

Daniel's lips twist into a bittersweet smile.

 

_I’m sorry, Jihoon. It looks like I can’t spend the rest of my life with you like we promised before._

 

“He spent the last ten years without me, after all.” he with a small, pained laugh. “Another hundred years won’t be much different.”

* * *

 }{

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Jihoon snarls, eyes burning bright blue.

 

“What do you mean that you’re not going?”

 

_How dare you._

 

“Jihoon—” Jonghyun gulps down. “Daniel can’t leave the palace without alerting the whole castle. But he will definitely go after us, you don’t have to worry about that.”

 

“You really thought it’s a bright idea to leave without him?” Jihoon spits out. “How could you, Jonghyun-hyung?”

 

His mind tries to calm him down, tries to tell him that they _must_ have a reason, tries to tell himself that this is nothing; but the anger burns everything, and he is only left with bitter words gnawing at his lips.

 

Daniel reaches out for his arm. “Jihoon-ah please—”

 

“No, _you_ shut up. I don’t want to hear it.” he hisses low. “Is this one of your stupid hero complex again, Daniel? Because if it is, then you can fuck off.”

 

Hurt flashes across Daniel's eyes, and Jihoon feels a little guilty for being the source of his pain, but he can’t have him endanger his life anymore.

 

“Jihoon-ah, please.” The pureblood looks at him in sorrow. “I just—I have to talk with my brother first. If I leave the palace just like that, there will be no guarantee that we can escape safely. So please—”

 

“Then I’ll go with you.”

 

“…huh?”

 

“I said,” Jihoon repeats, this time louder. “I’ll go with you.”

 

Daniel looks at him helplessly, and Jihoon sends him a sharp glare in return. There is no way that he can leave this place either; not when his arrangement with Dongho still stands.

 

>  " _Have you ever heard about blood sacrifice, Jihoon?”_

After all, Dongho is the only person who can save Daniel from his curse.

       

> _“Of course._ _I will make sure to save him. But you can’t tell anyone about this plan of ours, you understand?”_

“Take me with you.” he demands just like Daniel did with him two months ago. “We’re going to leave together.”

  

> _“Yes. Jus_ _t—save him. I will do anything but save him.”_

There’s silence, and Jihoon has to bit the plane of his tongue hard to stop the barrage of sentences from coming out. It’s hard to keep on going with this charade when he’s looking at him like that. 

 

> _"Even if you have to die?”_

 

So he musters his best smile and tries to locate his wavering voice, but it seems like he fails right away the moment he catches his eyes.

  

> _“Even if I have to die.”_

 

But he has to keep himself together; has to save Daniel no matter what it takes.

_I’m sorry, Daniel-hyung. It looks like I can’t keep my part of the promise, after all._

* * *

 }{

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Daniel looks at Seongwoo and the rest of his squadron and feels a churning guilt in his stomach.

 

“Are you sure that you’re going to assassinate your own brother?”

 

“Yes,” he bites out. “I am.”

 

“Daniel-hyung,” Seonho looks at him with conflicted eyes. “It has something to do with Park Jihoon, isn’t it?”

 

_Bullseye._

 

“That’s right,” he smiles weakly. “That’s why I want you to choose right now whether if you want to follow me or not.”

 

“And if I don’t want to?” Jaehan asks from his position perched against the window. “What would you do, your majesty?”

 

Words rise up and fall behind the wall of his teeth. But there’s one word that manages to escape his mouth.

 

“Nothing.”

 

“What the fuck, Daniel?” Jaehwan spits out. “We need help, and you know that! Why are you giving them choices in the first place? They pledged their loyalty to you! Of course that they have to—”

 

“This isn’t about loyalty.” He cuts him off harshly. “It’s about their future, Jaewhan. I’m not my brother. I won’t treat my subordinates’ lives like they don’t matter because they are!”

 

That shuts him up. Daniel tries to control his breathing and stuttering heart.

 

“He’s right, though.”

 

The pureblood raises his head in shock.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Not you,” Jinwoo says, smiling impishly. “Jaehwan.”

 

_What?_

 

“It’s not just loyalty, Daniel.” He says. “The moment we pledged ourselves to you, we vowed to protect you always. So if you were to end everything for once and all, then we would gladly offer our lives for your safety.”

 

Daniel can feel his emotions bubbling, threatening to spill out. “Then—”

 

**_Creak._ **

 

At that moment, the door chooses to open with a small creek.

 

_No._

 

As he stands, Daniel is suddenly aware of his heartbeat, of his blood rushing around through his chest.

 

(He knows that person so well.)

 

“Lai… Guanlin.”

 

The younger male salutes before he bows two times, his waist bending the full ninety degrees every time. Then he straightens his back and looks at them straight in the eye, smiling softly.

 

“Long time no see.”

 

Daniel's cheek wants to pull up into a smile, but even his muscles are tired. So he settles with a nod and a small lift of his lips in his direction.

 

“Welcome back.”

* * *

 }{

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Jihoon grips his blades tightly, ghostlike knuckles brushing against its leather binds.

 

“Guanlin will stay with us?”

 

“Yeah, the kid told me that he doesn’t want to leave your side even a bit.” Minki sighs, playfully messing up the younger male’s hair. “Take care of him, alright?”

 

“I’m not a kid.” Guanlin shrugs off his hand, the littlest of pout on his face. “Stop treating me like one!”

 

“Anyway, we’re going to the west.” Jonghyun suddenly says. “That’s where our troops are waiting to strike right now. We can’t afford to be seen with the rest of you, after all.”

 

“Jonghyun-hyung,” he stops, searching for the right words between the mess in his head and yet found none. “I’m—”

 

“Save it for later, okay?” The hunter says, ruffling his head like he used to do. “We’re going to aid you from afar. Keep that earpiece with you okay? I promise everything will be alright.”

 

“Just—Please be safe, alright?” Jihoon whispers, turning around to stare at his teammate. “All of you. Please take care of yourself.”

 

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Woojin scoffs at him. “Just worry about yourself, stupid!”

 

“Woojin-ah!” Hyungseob elbows him hard. “Stop being rude!”

 

“I’m not rude! He’s just really annoying!”

 

“Don’t mind him, Jihoon-hyung.” Samuel smiles at him and proceeds to leave a playful punch across his abdomen. “Take care, okay? We’ll be going now.”

 

“Yeah,” he croaks out. “You too.”

 

Jinyoung laughs softly at him. “Why are you making a face like that, silly! We’re going to meet soon!”

 

He looks at him with hopeful eyes, “Promise?”

 

Jihoon widens his eyes when he’s suddenly pushed to someone’s hard chest.

 

“Stop wearing that face,” he says quietly.

 

He blinks up to find bright auburn hair.

 

“I don’t know what happened,” he pauses, “But I wish that you will be happy with him.”

 

“W-Woojin-ah?”

 

“I’ve always prayed for your happiness, and if you find that happiness in him, then it’s okay,” he whispers. “I love you like my own brother, Jihoon-ah. Please take care of yourself, you hear me?”

 

Rather than answering him, Jihoon buries his face in the crook of his neck, hiding a bittersweet smile. He can feel Woojin’s grip tightening around him as if he were afraid of letting him go. While holding back his tears, Jihoon drags his mouth near his ears and tells him how grateful he’s for everything he has done in his life.

 

And then, before he can say something in response, another pair of arms have laced themselves over their body. Jihoon laughs when he feels more arms curl around them, reminding him of their last group hug from months ago.

 

“Thank you,” he whispers. “Let’s meet again when everything is over.”

 

After hugging each one of them back, Jihoon watches his team disappear into the distance. His heart feels so heavy when he thinks about their future, but then Daniel laces their fingers together one by one.

 

“Are you okay?” he asks softly.

 

Jihoon looks down at their entwined hands.

 

“I am,” he says, trying to sound normal. But Daniel can read him perfectly anyway.

 

“You aren’t,” he says. “But you will be.”

 

Daniel brings their hands to his mouth before he leaves a chaste kiss on Jihoon’s pale knuckles.

 

“Let’s do this, alright?”

* * *

 }{

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They arrive at the deserted area near the palace. Daniel narrows his eyes at the small path leading to his brother’s secret basement. If his memory serves him right, everything is as he’d left it with bored guards desultorily guarding the place.

 

“What should we do?” whispers Jihoon. “The guards are everywhere.”

 

“Just wait here, I’ll do something about it,” Daniel says.

 

“Are you trying to tell me that you’re going alone?” Jihoon looks at him in disbelief. “Kang Daniel are you crazy?”

 

“Yes. Just listen to me and wait here with the others, okay? Don’t let them notice your presence at all.” The pureblood commands harshly. “I’ll be back soon.”

 

“No! I won’t let you go alone!” Jihoon raises his voice a little, “You need me!”

 

“Jihoon,” Daniel warns, “We’ve talked about this. That place is dangerous, and there will be no guarantee that my brother is there. I promise that I’ll come back as soon as I find him.”

 

“But—”

 

His sentence is cut short when bloodcurdling screams and anguished cries suddenly emerge from the distance.

 

Daniel feels his blood running.

 

It seems that the war has already begun.

 

“Wait here, okay?” he takes Jihoon’s face between his large palms. “I can’t risk you being hurt, Jihoon.”

 

Another scream echoes in the background. They are so close, so damn close and it will be a matter of time before this place would be turned into another battleground.

 

“No!” Jihoon slaps his hand away. “I told you that I’m going with you!”

 

Daniel is startled by intensity which appeared across his eyes. And for a moment there, nothing is strong enough to pull him back into reality. But then Jihoon drops his gaze and clenches his fingers until his knuckles turned white, and something within him breaks a little.

 

_He’s so…_

 

Daniel sighs tiredly. “Fine, just—stick close to me, okay?”

 

“I can protect myself, Daniel.” he hisses. “I’m no longer that weak child who needed your protection anymore. Don’t look down at me.”

 

“I’m not, Jihoon,” he begs, suddenly feeling tired. “Just listen to me this once. We have to stick together, remember?”

 

For a long time, Jihoon simply stands there, unmoving. But then he nods, the ice behind his eyes has melted back into its rural blue.

 

“Fine,” he whispers. “Now stop making that face already.”

 

Daniel kisses him on the forehead. “Thank you.”

 

After disarming the guards from their position, they head to the stairs leading to the underground with quiet steps. They passed two floors, the ground swallowing them up further with every step. There is very little light which comes from somewhere outside of the foggy windows. And it is so quiet to the point that he can hear the scream from the outside in his ears.

 

Before he realizes it, they have arrived in front of a massive door. Daniel pushes it slowly, coughing when he's suddenly bombarded with dust and debris alike as soon as he steps into the barren room.

 

“I’ll check the room. You wait here and make sure that no one enters the room, Jihoon.”

 

Daniel walks into the dim-lighted room, crimson eyes darting around. The whole place is wrecked. Its wall broken and floors cracked beneath his feet.

 

His brother is nowhere to be found.

 

_Where is he?_

 

But before Daniel can think further, the pungent smell of blood suddenly assaults his nose.

 

(He knows whose blood it is.)

 

Fear begins to form in the pit of his stomach. Daniel walks further into the room, and he finds his brother in the corner, crimson from head to naked toe; no longer alive. Thick, dark red liquid courses down between the junction of his neck and dips onto the floor.

 

Revulsion clogs the inside of his throat. With the little strength in his feet, Daniel walks out the room, his breath coming in short wisp of air.

 

Jihoon comes over him, brow creased. “What happened?”

 

His shoulders begin to shake.

 

_Brother…_

“He’s dead.” Daniel croaks out. “My brother is dead.”

 

Jihoon freezes.

 

“Kand Dongho is dead?” he whispers. “W-What do you mean he’s dead? No... N-No it can't be true! He promised—he promised me…”

 

Daniel looks at him and feels his heart clench at the utter desperation drawn across his face. He doesn’t like the expression he’s wearing right now.

 

But they don’t have time for this.

 

“Come, we need to get away from here.”

 

Daniel brings them back to the clearing, and the first thing he sees is his squadron fending themselves off some hunter off his back. Seongwoo is fighting three hunters at once, Guanlin right behind him, guarding his back. Jaewhan, Seonho, and Jinwoo are fighting against multiple hunters, wrecking havoc all over the place.

 

Taewoong and Jaehan are sprawled on the ground; dead.

 

Daniel tips his head back, eyes red and stinging.

 

_What should I do now?_

 

“Let me go,”

 

Daniel blinks out his stupor when Jihoon begins to tug at his arm.

 

“I’m okay,” he says with shaking voice. “Let go, Daniel. I need to fight too.”

 

Daniel lets him but keeps him close. The hunters are coming in their direction. Two against seven; they are determinedly evenly unmatched.

 

The pureblood bares his teeth and dives forward, skidding along the ground in a rush and shoving his silver blade straight into one of their chest. He sees Jihoon doing the same beside him; his twin swords glinting brightly under the pale sun.

 

They keep fighting for what seemed like hours. But just before he can bring down another hunter into his demise, Daniel notices that Jihoon suddenly drops his fighting stance.

 

“B-Brother…”

 

_What?_

Daniel follows the direction of his eyes and sees him there.

 

Right at the entrance of the underground, standing with his eyes blown wide; is Hwang Minhyun.

 

And he’s entirely inked by blood.

(Kang Dongho’s blood.)

* * *

}{

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Jihoon feels himself taking a step forward.

 

_Is that you?_

 

But before he can take another step, someone is holding him back. Jihoon doesn’t have to look to know that it’s Daniel’s. “Don’t come near him, Jihoon. Remember that he’s not the same person.”

 

“No—No Daniel look at his eyes.” Jihoon chokes out, eyes never leaving Minhyun’s still form. “His eyes—”

 

_Please be true._

“—they are blue. How… how could it happen?” Daniel whispers in disbelief. “Did his plan backfired?” he bites his bottom lip in frustration. “Is that why my brother is dead?”

 

Jihoon doesn’t answer him, and instead, he walks towards the shaking vampire with even steps. Every step feels so wrong, and Daniel is still holding his hand tight in his, but—

 

But Jihoon can’t stop himself.

 

"Minhyun-hyung…” Jihoon looks into his burning eyes. “Is that… you?”

 

Minhyun smiles painfully at him, so bitter, so sad, and Jihoon blinks away the hot tears before he smiles back at him.

 

_It’s you._

 

“Hey kiddo,” he greets softly. He is inked with blood from head to toe, but his gaze is warm and familiar. “Long time no see.”

 

“Hyung…” Jihoon cries out. His tears suddenly become one with blood that soaked his skin. “Minhyun-hyung….”

 

“Has it been ten years since we last met? I don’t really remember it that much…” he chuckles weakly. “Ah, what am I saying… enough with the pleasantries. You—”

 

He stops, and then;

 

“You are here to kill me… right, Daniel?”

 

Daniel glances at him for a short while, his gaze soft and pained, before he turns back to look at Minhyun again. “Yes.”

 

_…huh?_

 

“You… you know about this?” Jihoon looks at him in betrayal. “You know that my brother is still alive… and you didn’t tell _me?”_

 

Daniel shifts his eyes away, jaws clenching hard. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have found out.”

 

“How could you?” he croaks out. “How could you hide the truth from me?”

 

_How could you lie to me again, Daniel?_

“Don’t blame him, Jihoon-ah. He’s just trying to protect you.” he says softly. “You know what will happen once the curse takes over my place again. So please—”

 

Jihoon bites down his tongue until it bleeds. Minhyun smiles.

 

“Kill me, little one.”

 

_Why?_

 

The acrid taste of blood lingers on his tongue as he stares into his brother helpless eyes. Jihoon suddenly feels sick in his stomach. He breathes in, trying to drag air into his empty lungs.

 

_Why are you saying such a cruel thing?_

 

“You don’t have to do it.” Daniel murmurs and takes his hand. “I’ll be the one who kill him. His blood wouldn’t be on your hands.”

 

“No no no, what are you saying? Stop it!” Jihoon clutches his head and starts screaming. “Stop saying such cruel things!”

 

“Jihoon, please,” he breaks in tears when Minhyun begs on his knees. “He’s right. You have to kill me now before it’s too late.”

 

Jihoon bites back a sob. He doesn’t want to kill him. But his brother needs this; he needs this closure and how could he not give it to him?

 

A tear, or maybe two, escape from the corner of his eyes, but Jihoon quickly wipes them off.

 

“I’ll—I’ll do it. I’m s-sorry.” Jihoon says instead. “I’m… I’m _so_ sorry.”

 

A smile blooms on Minhyun’s tired face.

 

“It’s not your fault, little brother,” he whispers softly. “Daniel?” Minhyun turns his head to the pureblood beside him. The smile is still present on his face even though the curse is starting to coat his skin with black markings. “R-Remember our promise?”

 

“Yeah, hyung.” choking on his tears, Daniel nods slowly. Jihoon realizes that his mate has been crying this whole time beside him. “D-Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him. I promise you with my life.”

 

“Good, that’s g-good.” Jihoon almost screams when Minhyun vomits blood all over his body. “N-Now do it, please? I don’t think I can keep it much longer…”

 

They look at each other with pain inside their eyes, before Jihoon breaks the contact to stare at his brother again, swallowing hard.

 

_This is it._

 

With surprisingly still hands, Jihoon raises his silver sword until it touches Minhyun’s clothed chest. Even when he’s on the verge of being killed, he doesn’t move a muscle. He is staring at Jihoon quietly as if he’s waiting for him to push the metal through his body.

 

Jihoon forces a smile then, his heart broken and bleeding as he swings his blade straight at him.

  

> _“Jihoon-ah, never forget that I love you like my own brother, okay?”_

 

But a second before it can pierce through Minhyun’s heart, Jihoon lets his sword fall to the ground with an echoing thud.

 

“I-I can’t—” he staggers back, sobbing hard. He stares at Minhyun with blurry eyes in a begging manner. “I can’t—I can’t do this.”

 

(If only he knew that it was the worst mistake that he could have ever done, Jihoon wouldn’t have hesitated. He would have—)

 

Minhyun stops moving; stops breathing and the only thing Jihoon can hear is his thudding heartbeats. But then, he suddenly raises his head.

 

His eyes are no longer blue.

“That’s a wrong choice, little one.”

* * *

 }{

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Jihoon hears himself scream, the sound loud and painfully clear in his ears, and the next thing he knows there is weight dropping into his body.

 

_Huh?_

 

He blinks multiple times, heart and mind muted into a pause. Sound of nearing footsteps hurts his ears, but the only thing he can focus on is the slowing heartbeat inside his arms.

 

“Oh god,” beside him, Jihoon hear someone fall into their knees. “D-Daniel-hyung?”

 

_Daniel…?_

Jihoon opens his eyes wide and suddenly he’s faced with Daniel’s dirty blond hair. Blood is pouring out from the wound on his chest, but he chooses to look at Jihoon instead, caressing his cheek tenderly.

 

"Are you okay… Jihoon-ah?"

 

Cold sweat forms across his temples. Somehow, his voice won’t come out. His throat is dry; _so_ dry that it feels painful.

 

“Why?” Jihoon finally whispers, eyes trailing up from his bloodied hand into the sword embedded across Daniel’s chest, his body is frozen in place. "Why, Daniel?"

 

"I…" Daniel coughs up blood and it smears across Jihoon’s pale neck and trails down his collarbones. “I promised—I p-promised that I will protect you, didn’t I?”

 

When the words sink, nothing feels right anymore. Jihoon whimpers low in his throat and it feels as if his eyes would tear up, but his body seems to have forgotten how to.

 

_It’s not supposed to be like this._

 

He gulps back another whimper as he tries to stop the bleeding with trembling palm.

 

“N-No,” he chokes out, “—stop. Please stop!"

 

Jihoon pushes harder, but no matter how hard he tries, blood keeps on seeping past his fingers. He tries over and over again until he can’t even distinguish his hands anymore, but Jihoon’s no healer. He doesn’t really know what he’s doing.

 

(Doesn’t really know how to keep him alive.)

 

“No no no— _please_. Why it won’t stop?!”

 

“Jihoon-hyung stop it!” someone is holding his hands, but Jihoon shrugs him off and presses his palms back into the bleeding wound. “No! Listen to me! We need to get out from here!”

 

“Then go!” Jihoon screams at the top of his lungs. “I n-need to—I need to…”

 

“Jihoon-ah! Don’t be like this! We need to go right now!”

 

“No!” he shakes his head, “Just leave me alone!”

 

“Fuck, we don’t have much time. You keep your eyes on them, Guanlin.” Another voice echoes. “I’m going to inform Jonghyun and the rest. Wait for us. We’re going to make an escape route for the three of you.”

 

“B-But—”

 

“Stay safe, okay? I’ll give you a signal as soon as we’re finished.”

 

Bloodcurdling scream suddenly arises from a distance. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jihoon knows that the war is brewing heatedly from afar. But when Daniel takes in another sucking breath and looks at him with so much regret in his eyes, Jihoon can’t hold back his tears anymore. Because Daniel is wearing his goodbye on his face like it’s the last time and Jihoon can’t let him go yet.

 

(Jihoon can’t let Daniel go yet. Not when they’re only about to begin again.)

 

_Please._

 

Another pained sob escapes from his mouth. Jihoon watches as his tears fall across Daniel’s cold skin with a faint thud.

_Please don’t die._

 

Daniel blinks up at him, then laughs. “W-Why are you crying, silly?”

 

_Because you’re not supposed to die!_

 

Jihoon cradles him closer. The sound of Daniel’s harsh breathing is the only thing he can recognize besides his own pitiful cry. “Don’t leave me. You can’t leave me—I need you!”

 

“D-Don’t cry Jihoon…” murmurs Daniel. He raises his hand to wipe the tears from Jihoon’s face. His palm is freezing cold. “I ha– te seeing you c-cry…”

 

They feel warm and bitter; the tears. Jihoon bites down his lower lip until he tastes blood and rust rolling across his tongue.

 

“You can’t die,” Jihoon whispers brokenly. “Y-You promised me that we’re going to live in that small house by the shore, r-remember? I don’t m-mind if you want to adopt cats just like you’ve always w-wanted and I p-promise that I won’t get mad when one of them leave a mess so please—” he chokes back a sob. “ _Please_ , don’t leave me. You can’t leave me, Daniel. I love you—I love you _so_ much.”

 

Daniel doesn’t answer him. He just lies there within his arms, choking on the blood inside his mouth. Jihoon listens to his heartbeat. It throbs against his chest faintly.

 

“I l-love you too.”

 

Jihoon freezes.

 

“And I’m g-glad… that I met you.” Daniel continues softly, eyes blank and unseeing. Even like this, Jihoon can see the love inside those eyes as clear as day. And it hurts. It hurts so much to see life seeps out from those very same eyes in a trail of tears and blood. “Keep on living… okay? Even if I can’t be a part of that future, I want you to continue with l-life. I want you… to be happy.  Can you do that for me?”

 

“How could I?” he whispers. “How could I when you’re not here with me?”

 

Daniel blinks at him, before he lets out a quiet chuckle.

 

“I believe in you.” he says instead. “Y-You spent the last ten years without me… Another hundred years… won’t be much different, don’t you think?”

 

Just when he’s about to open his mouth again, Daniel suddenly lifts his head to kiss his trembling lips softly.

 

“Jihoon-ah—”

 

Daniel rests his forehead against him; his bloodied lips curving into a bittersweet smile.

 

“ _Aeternum vale_.”

 

Under his fingertips, Jihoon can no longer feel his heartbeat anymore. His once beautiful crimson irises have thawed into a pair of black, soulless eyes. The sound of hand hitting the ground is the last thing he heard before he’s suddenly deaf.

 

(And he is gone.)

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_“Jihoon-ah?”_

_“Hm?”_

_“What would you do if I died?”_

_Jihoon blinks out from his stupor. “Come again?”_

_“I said, what would you do if I died?” Daniel repeats, this time louder. “If I were to die today, what would you say to me?”_

_“I would say that you’re the stupidest creature that I’ve ever known, Kang Daniel.” Jihoon ends his sentence with a hard slap on his bicep, frowning. “Seriously, for all we know you’re going to outlive me by a thousand years. What made you think that you’re going to die before me?”_

_“I’m just—wondering.” Daniel murmurs, and there’s something painfully sad in the way he lowers his head to the fold of his arms. “What would you do if I were to die? Would you be drowning in sorrow? Would you cry for me? Would you still remember me?”_

_Jihoon’s heart stops when he catches Daniel’s beautiful eyes on him._

_“Would you miss me?”_

_His words plummet right into his heart. He looks so afraid; so, so afraid but he also looks so terribly in love._

_All because of him._

_Jihoon laughs softly at himself, and within the moment of a couple of breaths, he finally comes to the answer he’s searching for._

_“I wouldn’t.”_

_Daniel raises his head in shock._

_“W-What?”_

_“I wouldn’t miss you, Daniel.” he repeats slowly._

_Jihoon watches Daniel open his mouth almost immediately as if to rebuke his statement. He smiles softly at him then, eyes fond and full of love._

_“I wouldn’t miss you. Because—”_

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Jihoon lowers Daniel’s unmoving body gently into the ground before he stands up with shaky legs.

 

“J-Jihoon-hyung? Are you—?”

 

“Stay back.”

 

Guanlin reaches out to hold his arm. “Where are you goi—?”

 

_“I said stay back!”_

He can’t remember exactly what he did afterward. He remembers hearing someone screaming hysterically over and over again. He remembers raising his twin swords up in the air only to let them fall again. He remembers the wet sensation over his skin and remembers the faint smell of burning flesh and earth.

 

Then he remembers him; remembers _Daniel_ and—

 

(And he is so angry—so, _so_ angry and he wants to burn down the world in blue because how dare it took Daniel away from him?)

 

When Jihoon blinks away the tears from his eyes and sets his jaw tight, all he can see is a sea of blood and burning field. And it makes something within him break into pieces.

 

“You…”

 

Jihoon turns around and sees his brother in the distance. He has almost forgotten about him. But there he is, standing among the rotting flesh and burnt corpses while staring at him with a sinister smile on his face

 

“You’re truly a monster, Jihoon.”

 

Blue fire suddenly bursts from the ground beneath him into the sky. Jihoon watches the once green field turns into a shade of decaying black. He laughs then; loud and bitter and full of pain before he bends down to pull a silver sword from the burnt corpse under his feet.

 

(There’s just no point in trying anymore, is there?)

 

“ _We_ are,” he corrects him with an askew smile. “You and I both; we are truly monsters, don’t you think?”

 

His brother smiles back at him, eyes gleaming bright. No, not exactly his brother, but for a split of a second there, Jihoon can see the old Minhyun inside those eyes before he’s replaced again with the monster in front of him.

 

Jihoon smiles at the ridiculous image, eyelids crinkling into crescents.

 

_I’m such a fool._

 

“You are right.” Minhyun suddenly takes a step forward. “Then how about we settle this for once and all, little one?”

 

He takes another step again, trying to shorten the distance between them. Jihoon maintains his posture still, and his brother’s sneer turns into a wide smirk; exposing his pointy canines and sharp incisor. When they are only a meter away, Minhyun raises his silver sword and points the sharp end at his direction.

 

“I’ve been waiting for this day to come for so long, and at last you’re here,” he says softly, eyes gleaming dark amethyst. “Now, prepare yourself. Because I will finish what I’ve begun ten years ago.”

 

Jihoon looks at him with pained eyes.

 

_“Eram quod es, eris quod sum, frater.”_

 

Jihoon lets his voice ring inside his ears before he opens his eyes again. In the distance, right outside the ring of blue fire he’d created, he sees Jonghyun and the rest of his teammate standing behind the roaring flame. Seongwoo and Jaehwan are staring at him with pain inside their eyes while screaming at him to let them in. Guanlin is screaming at him too, face wet with tears and blood. And Daniel—

 

(Daniel is dead.)

 

_I’m so sorry._

 

Jihoon raises his sword up slowly into the air.

 

_This is all my fault._

 

There are some things that are unforgivable, and this is one of them.

 

_But don’t worry,_

 

“Then let’s begin, Minhyun-hyung.”

 

_I promise that I’ll make it right again._

 

Jihoon runs.

* * *

 }{

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Jihoon smells the blood before he feels it.

 

His stomach heaves.

 

With nothing holding him up, Jihoon lets his knees sink into the wet ground, chocking out blood between his teeth and watches Minhyun doing the same. The tip of his sword blinks under the grey sun, and Jihoon coughs another batch of blood and lets his forehead rest against his brother’s shoulder.

 

“Why… didn’t you move aside?” Minhyun asks softly. “Y-You could’ve evaded my attack easily.”

 

Jihoon chuckles; a low, throaty tone which hurts his windpipe. “Why didn’t _y-you_?”

 

“I don’t… know.” Minhyun laughs wetly and presses his bleeding chest with trembling hand. “I guess—I guess your b-brother is still here, after all.”

   

His eyes widen in shock before he smiles softly.

  

> _“I love you so, so much. Please be happy, little brother.”_

 

Maybe it’s only a dream, but Jihoon thinks that he sees Minhyun smile at him for the last time before he falls into the ground; chest torn and heart pierced; no longer breathing. His body begins to turn black just like his decaying heart, but it doesn’t disappear completely and instead, it starts to resolve into dust little by little just like Daniel’s. Such is the fate of cursed ones.

 

Jihoon stares at him for a moment too long before he raises his hand to pull Minhyun’s sword from his chest. As soon as he removes the metal and throws it aside, blood pours out from the gaping wound and forms a pool of red beneath his body. With some strength left in him, Jihoon tries to stand up only to slam his chest against the damp, rotting earth.

 

_Is this the end of me?_

 

But then his smile suddenly appears in his mind. Jihoon remembers him then, and with the last of his strength, he begins to claw at the ground and drag himself forward.

  

> " _You’re not tainted. You’re the most beautiful being that I’ve ever come cross, Park Jihoon.”_

 

_No, I can’t die yet._

 

His eyes are beginning to lose their vision, but it doesn’t stop Jihoon from dragging his battered body to where Daniel’s cooling corpse rest. Every pull of his muscles scream pain all over his body, but he keeps on going.

  

> _“I need you to believe in me, Jihoon. I will not ask for anything else, just believe in me.”_

 

_Just a little bit more._

 

Daniel is still there; right where he’d left him. Even with drying blood smeared all over his skin and crusted beneath his nails, even when some parts of his body had turned into dust and disappeared; he still looks beautiful.

 

> " _Because I promised that I will always protect you, Jihoon."_

 

_A little bit more._

 

“Farewell… forever, huh?” Jihoon whispers through the blood inside his mouth and drags himself with one arm. He had lost the feeling in his other arm a while ago. “How dare you s-said that to me?”

  

> _"I’m sorry for making you love a monster like me.”_

 

_Almost there._

 

The blue fire around them slowly melts into thin air. Jihoon thinks he can see him clearly now. Just a few steps ahead, and he can hold him again inside his arms. A smile blooms at the thought. Jihoon reaches out his hand, smiling widely.

  

> _“When everything is over… we can live there for the rest of our life.”_

 

_Wait for me, Daniel._

 

But just a second before their hands touch— 

  

> _“I want you… to be happy.”_

_I’ll…_

  

> _“Jihoon-ah—”_

 

—his heart suddenly stops beating.

  

> _“Aeternum vale.”_

 

_…come to you._

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_“Because if you were to die,”_

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He walks toward the middle of the darkening field with trembling legs. His skin is raw and full of wounds, but nothing compares to the sight of this pair of lovers, side by side; even in death. He admires them for a moment, then reaches for Jihoon’s outstretched hand gently, carefully, as if he’s holing glass and puts it into Daniel’s before he weeps for his loss.

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_“—I would die with you.”_

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_finite._

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 261117; last chapter  
> ??1117; epilogue
> 
> Thank you from the bottom of my heart. See you until then.
> 
>  aeternum vale; farewell forever.


	5. and forever it will be you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don’t you remember your first promise to me?

_Farewell... forever, huh? How dare you said that to me?_

_._

_Don’t you remember your first promise to me?_

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_I’m going to be mad if you forget._

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_You’re not… waking up?_

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_Did you really forget?_

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_You’re really not going to wake up, huh._

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_Fine. I’ll do it instead._

_._

_Wait for me._

_._

_I’ll…_

_._

_…come to you._

 

* * *

—[ **a e t e r n u m   v a l e** ]—

}{

{ we do not fear death, but we thought of death, }  
_remember that i was what you are, and you will be what i am._

}{

* * *

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_“—what if I died?”_

_Daniel tilts his head at the question, snorting. “There’s no way that I would ever let that happen.”_

_“I said what if,” Jihoon rolls his eyes. “You’re no fun, seriously.”_

_“Now, that’s really rude, Jihoon-ah.” Daniel sighs at him. “You know that I would never let any harm come upon you. The moment we’d become mates, I’d swore to myself that I will protect you with my life because—”_

_Jihoon’s_ _eyes soften._

_“—because I am your life,” he cuts him off. “Right?”_

_Daniel blinks at him a few times before he leans forward to give him a soft kiss._

_“That’s right,”_ _he whispers. But then, he moves forward to pinch Jihoon’s cheek playfully. “I know that I’ve trained you right, Jihoonie.”_

_Jihoon slaps his arm in mock rage. “I’m not an animal. Stop treating me like I’m your pet, you cat maniac.”_

_“You a—” Daniel dodges a punch aimed at him then raises his hands in mock surrender, laughing hard. “Okay, okay I’m sorry! No need to get violent Jihoon-ah.”_

_They fall into silence, a smile drawn on their face. Jihoon is about to say something, but then Daniel suddenly beats him to it._

_“But,” begins Daniel. With so much care, he takes Jihoon’s hand in his, then entwines their fingers together. “If by any chance it happens, then I will—”_

_Daniel leans closer and whispers something into his ear, and without him knowing, a smile has taken its place among his lips._

_“You promise?” Jihoon raises his little finger, still with a smile on his face, but noticeably bigger than before._

_Daniel links their fingers together, “I promise.”_

 

* * *

「kang **daniel/** park **jihoon** ; vampire **au** 」  
e p i l o u g e  
and forever it will be you

* * *

}{

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_._

 

Three winters pass, and the world keeps changing, keeps turning on its axis. Life doesn’t stop. Morning comes and night stays like before.

 

The council was no more, and the laws which controlled the vampires perished along with the last purebloods into their grave. It gives a certain silence for both sides, and even though they know it’s only temporary, the peace is very much appreciated.

 

Because there are no bodies to bury, they settle upon twin headstones made from bronze and engraved their names across its surface in beautiful scripts.

 

It’s nothing much, but they think that it’s enough to remember them by.

* * *

}{

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“Hey, it’s been a long time since I came here, huh?”

 

Guanlin doesn’t remember when the last time he visited. Maybe it was march, in spring, when the magnolias bloomed early for the first time in years. Maybe it was summer in august. Maybe it was a cold night in june, or—

 

Or it could be in december, when the snow was falling just like that night from years and years ago.

 

Guanlin breathes in, then out.

 

_This is it._

 

“I’ve been thinking hard about how to tell you what has happened since you left.”

 

Cold wind begins to slither down his neck. Some of the magnolias he’s holding fall into the ground with soft thud. Guanlin stares at the yellowing petals for a while before he continues again.

 

“Samuel is bright as always; still joking and fooling around like a child he is. Jinyoung and Hyungseob still tend the garden the three of you had grown to remember you by. Woojin-hyung still spends his morning running laps like the two of you had used to, and some days he wouldn’t even stop running until midnight. Jonghyun-hyung and Minki-hyung are welcoming more people into our home like they did with us back then. They look really happy." he halts a little, "And me—well, I’m just… fine."

 

_Lies._

“I miss you so much, Jihoon-hyung.” he chokes out, letting the words tumble through his quivering lips. “I miss you and the way you would laugh when we were making a fool of ourselves. The way your eyes would crinkle a little when you smiled. The way you would hold my hand and kiss my forehead when I had nightmares. I just—I miss everything about you, but I know that I have to let you go.”

 

He takes a calming breath.

 

“You had been there since the beginning when my parents hadn’t, and I think that at some point, I regarded you as my own brother,” he whispers. “Thank you for always being there for me. I love you so much, hyung.”

 

He stops at that, his eyes clogging up with unshed tears. Then he turns around to settle his eyes into another memorial beside Jihoon’s and feels his eyes burn even more.

 

“And you, Daniel-hyung. You’re amazing,” he says with so much admiration. “Have I ever told you how grateful I am to you? You took me in when I had no place to live. You fed me, clothed me, paid for my needs, and even went as far as putting up with my childish whims. You introduced me to Jihoon-hyung and told me to protect him with my life because—”

 

He pauses, a hint of smile showing on his face.

 

“Because _he’s_ your life, am I right?”

 

From the corner of his eyes, the sky begins to change. It’s now pale in comparison to its former blue, the yellowish sun being the only shout of color against the monotone white. But even though so, Guanlin still thinks it looks beautiful.

 

“You’re really strong, I envy you.” he pauses to looks up into the grey sky, trying so hard to keep the tears from falling. “Even until the end, you fulfilled your promise to him. Now that everything is over, please be happy with Jihoon-hyung, okay?”

 

Guanlin looks up when something cold touches the tip of his nose.

 

_Ah, it’s snowing again._

And at that moment, he suddenly feels warm.

_Was that your answer to my question, hyung?_

“I love you both,” Guanlin whispers words against the wet ground as the snow rains down his skin. “Even if it’s too late, I want to say that I’m so grateful for everything that the two of you had done for me.”

 

His breath begins to turn wet and sucking. The air tastes different here, he realizes. It’s quite bitter but also incredibly sweet. Guanlin takes in another calming breath, hoping that it can keep him from breaking apart.

 

(But it’s impossible, it seems.)

 

Through the tears which begin to gather around eyes, Guanlin stares at their gravestones and lets himself cry.

 

“Why did you have to die?”

 

Guanlin presses his burning eyes until he sees stars. God, he wants to scream.

 

“Why didn’t you take me with you?”

 

He doesn’t really know what he is doing exactly. It didn't use to be like this, but he can't remember it being different. Guanlin thought he’s strong enough. But it looks like he was wrong.

 

“I lied. I fucking lied. They were _gone_ , hyung.” he confesses with a whimper. “All of them finally left me alone. It’s been a hundred years since your death and just like you said, human is really fragile after all.”

 

He rakes in a breath, sucking wet air into his empty lungs once again. He wasn’t supposed to cry in front of them.

_What am I doing?_

“Ahh, this is so embarrassing. I’m such a crybaby, am I not?” Guanlin shuts his eyes tight, chuckling. “Please forget everything I said. I’m not… usually like this.”

 

When he opens his eyes a few seconds later, he’s no longer crying. Guanlin musters his best smile and tries to locate his wavering voice even though it’s hard.

 

“Don’t worry too much, okay? Seongwoo-hyung and Jaehwan-hyung took me under their care just like Jonghyun-hyung and Minki-hyung did with us back then. I swear they are like my own set of parents who can’t stop nagging at me.” he snorts, but then his expression becomes somber. “Jinwoo… had passed away fifty years ago, but I guess he was happy to be reunited with Taewoong and Jaehan again. Daehwi had married a human a few years after the war ended and Seonho… I don’t know where he’s right now.”

 

Him and Seonho were best friends ever since he’d joined under Daniel’s squadron. They were really close back then, and Guanlin knew that he’d harbored some kind of feelings for him. But when he was about to confront him after the war, Seonho had already gone. He had tried to search for him everywhere, but it seemed like he didn’t want to be found.

 

(But he understands.)

 

Seonho has always wanted something different, you know? And now that he’s free to live his life, Guanlin is sure that he’s making the best of his life right now.

 

(Guanlin still misses him though, and he hopes that wherever he is right now, he’s happy.)

 

“Now that the rules had perished, it’s easier for us to mingle each other… even with humans,” he says softly. “The first few years were disaster… but along the way, we learned to tolerate each other, and soon we found a new family. Built it from the scratch we did, and even though it’s not perfect, even though it lacks many things, I’m quite happy.”

 

Guanlin touches the top of the gravestones, smiling.

 

“It’s been hard spending years without them… without the two of you,” he says softly. “But it’s okay. I’m not that lonely anymore because—”

 

“GUANLIN-HYUNG!”

 

He stops when a voice echoes among the silence. A soft smile suddenly appears on his face when he feels thin arms wrapping themselves around his waist, pulling him into a back hug.

 

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_Guanlin pulls on the white petals and watches as they fall to the ground. He accidentally brought a bucket of magnolias on his way down the village because it reminded him of someone he’d once held dear. But now that he thinks about it again, he’s so stupid to even think about buying it in the first place._

_(A hundred years have passed since their death, and yet he still can’t get the picture of their entwined hands out from his mind.)_

_Guanlin thinks that he’s such a fool. And in his anger, he begins to pick on the flowers, kneading the fragile petals within his long fingers until they break apart and fall to the ground. But before he can continue, a soft, childlike voice suddenly startles him._

_“Um, mister, I think that you’re hurting that flowers.”_

_Guanlin blinks down to see a child tugging on the hem of his coat. His hair is a shade of common brown, but his eyes are an entirely different matter._

_They look exactly like his eyes._

 

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“Why are you taking so long~” A young boy, maybe in his early teens, whines into the middle of his back. “Are you not done yet? Let’s go home already, hyung!”

 

Guanlin turns around and hugs him back. “Sorry kiddo, I guess I was taking too long, hm?”

 

“Hyung is a slowpoke!” his scream is muffled against Guanlin’s chest, but he can hear him loud and clear. “Come on, hyung, we’re gonna miss dinner at this rate. I don’t want to hear Jisung-hyung nagging again~”

 

“Alright, alright, we’re going soon.” Guanlin smiles down at him, all teeth and gummy smile. “By the way, where’s your other half?”

 

“W-Wha—What are you talking about!” he punches his chest hard until he’s forced to double back from the pain. “He’s not my other half! Stop saying nonsense!”

 

Guanlin cringes at the sudden display of violence. “Yah, that hurt you little menace. How could he stand your punches all this time? This shit hurts.”

 

“You’re just weak, hyung.” he sneers. “Now, let’s go!”

 

“Wait, answer my question first you devil spawn!” Guanlin pinches his cheeks. “Where is he?”

 

“Dunno.” he folds his arms. “I left him behind because he’s being annoying. Again.”

 

“What? You left him, _again?”_ he looks at him in disbelief. “What if he got lost? You know how bad he’s with direction.”

 

“Not my problem,” he says stubbornly, jutting his lips out. “Why did you leave me alone with him anyway?!”

 

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_“What’s your name, kid?”_

_The child looks up from the magnolias in his hands to grace Guanlin a wide, toothy smile. “I’m sorry but I can’t tell you, mister! Sister Cha told me so.”_

_That tears a grin off Guanlin’s lips. “She’s smart.”_

_“Yes she is!” he nods eagerly. “But thank you for giving me these flowers, mister! They’re really beautiful!”_

_“You seem to like those flowers a lot.” The hunter remarks with a small smile. “It’s rare to see a boy who adores flowers as much as you do.”_

_He shrugs. “Nah, it’s not me.”_

_“Huh?” Guanlin tilts his head. “Then who?”_

_“I don’t really know either,” he whispers wistfully. And for a moment there, he looks older than he actually is. “But I’ve always seen him in my dreams.”_

_Guanlin stops short, pupils blown wide._

_“This friend of yours,” he pauses, voice shaking a little. “He loves flowers?”_

_“Hm-mh. Especially magnolias.” He examines the flowers in his hand with sparkling eyes. “I think he likes them the most.”_

_“His name,” Guanlin gulps down hard, “Can I know his name?”_

_There is a moment of silence before the child smiles brightly at him._

_“His name is Jihoon.”_

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“Yah, don’t be such a brat.” Guanlin boops his nose playfully. “He’s not that bad.”

 

Jihoon looks at him blankly.

 

“What do you mean he’s not that bad?” The boy punches him again, this time in his lower abdomen. Guanlin chokes and almost bites down his tongue in surprise. “I was _this_ close to turning Niel-hyung into a nugget because he kept pinching my cheeks and and petting me like I’m one of his stupid cats then smothering me with kisses and—”

 

“Jihoon-ah, why did you leave me alone~”

 

He stops his rants when another boy walks into their direction with fast steps.

 

“I told you to wait, meanie!”

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_“Then your name…” Guanlin trails off. “Your name must be Daniel, am I right?”_

_The young boy looks at him, raising his brows high until they touch his hairline._

_“Are you a fortune teller, mister?”_

_“H-Huh?” Guanlin stares at him, taken aback. “No. I’m a traveler.”_

_“Oh,” he nods to himself. “That’s why your prediction sucks.”_

_His eyes twitch at the disrespect. He raises his hands to pinch his chubby cheeks, but thankfully he can hold himself in time. “So, is that your name or not?”_

_“No,” he pouts cutely. “That’s not my name.”_

_Guanlin freezes; shell-shocked. “It’s… not?”_

_“My name is Euigeon—oops!” he slaps his mouth hard when he realizes his mistake. “Aish, sister Cha is going to kill me.”_

_“Euigeon-ah,” it feels weird to address him as such, but strangely it doesn’t really bother him as much as he thought it would be. “Do you know where Jihoon is right now?”_

_“Um, I don’t think so…” Euigeon sadly lowers his head, “My dreams were unclear. The only thing that I can remember is his name… and ah! I also remember his eyes… they are really beautiful, like sapphires.”_

_Guanlin is silent for a moment before he opens his mouth again._

_“Have you met him before?”_

_Euigeon_ _tilts his head in a confused manner. “I’ve met him in my dreams.”_

_“In real life?”_

_“No,” he bites down his lower lip. “I haven’t.”_

_“But do you still think he’s real?”_

_The boy stares at him, and there’s something familiar about that stare which makes him want to cry._

_“A lot of people said that he’s just a figment of my imagination,” he whispers softly. “But I think—no, I can feel it. He’s real,”_

_He looks down into the magnolias, then smiles._

_“And he’s waiting for me.”_

 

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“You’re just slow, hyung.” The boy, Jihoon, sticks his tongue out at him playfully. “And you’re annoying. So don’t follow me anymore.”

 

Daniel looks at him in despair. “But I like you… I want to be close to you, Jihoon-ah.”

 

With an amused smile, Guanlin watches as Jihoon’s face turns beet red. “W-What are you even talking about?!”

 

“You always refused my hugs and kisses, but you let Guanlin-hyung and Jisung-hyung do as they please.” he looks at him sadly. “Does Jihoon hates me?”

 

Jihoon flinches back at the utter despair on Daniel’s face. The atmosphere between them suddenly becomes tense.

 

 “It’s not—” he stutters and starts playing with his fingers. “It’s not that I hate you…”

 

Daniel grabs his small hand gently and looks at him with hopeful eyes. “Then, does it mean that Jihoon likes me?”

 

Guanlin watches as blood keeps rushing into Jihoon’s cheeks in a frenzy.

 

 _He’s going to pass out soon if this continues_ , he thinks in amusement.

 

“F-Fine. I like you,” he mumbles, looking down into his feet. “Now let go of my hand.”

 

“Hm? What did you say?” Daniel puts his ear close to Jihoon’s lips. From his position, he can see the younger male hiding a wide smirk. “I can’t hear you, Jihoon-ah.”

 

Guanlin’s lips twitch.

_This kid._

 

He drags his eyes on Jihoon again. If possible, his chubby face turns even redder. Jihoon bites down his lower lip nervousness before he opens his mouth again.

 

“I like you!” he shouts while shutting his eyes tight. “There! Are you happy now?”

 

The younger squeaks when Daniel pushes himself forward to engulf him into an embrace.

 

“I’m happy,” he whispers. “—really, really happy.”

 

Smiling like a lovesick idiot, Daniel kisses Jihoon’s forehead and plops his chin back into the top of his head. Jihoon blinks at the intimate gesture multiple times, but then his face begins to blaze red again. Not in embarrassment, but in anger.

 

“Cha Daniel… this is one of your trap, isn’t it?!”

 

Guanlin can’t hold his laughter anymore when Jihoon suddenly punches Daniel hard in the stomach while screaming bloody murder. He smiles softly at the banter, his mind taking himself back into the past once more.

 

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_Guanlin holds back his tears and pats his hair gently._

 

“ _Then shall we search for him together?”_

_The young boy looks at him in confusion. “Search for him? Just the two of us?”_

_“Hm. Just the two of us.” he nods. “Unless you want to bring another person along?”_

_He is silent for a while, lips jutting out in thought. “I don’t… really have anyone though. Do you think sister Cha would cry if I leave?”_

_“Who is that?” he asks softly. “And what about your parents?”_

_“I don’t have a father… and mother died when I was born,” he mumbles quietly. “Sister Cha brought me to the orphanage after her death and ever since then she’s been taking care of me.”_

_Guanlin smiles down at him. “Don’t worry, Euigeon-ah. We’ll come back as soon as we find him. You’re not leaving forever.”_

_Daniel blinks at him, before a wide smile breaks across his lips._

_“Promise?”_

_“Promise.”_

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Finding Jihoon was hard. They spent years searching for any sign of his existence, and it was tough to keep believing because there was nothing they could hold on into. The endless journey was tiring, and Guanlin was about to give up for once and all but Daniel had been the one who convinced him to keep on going.

 

Strong and stubborn; the young boy had dragged him from town to town, country to country, still with a broad smile on his face and his loud _“We’ll find him soon!”_

 

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_“Who… are you?”_

 

_Daniel smiles at him and laces their fingers together,_

_“I finally found you.”_

 

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(And they did. 

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_“Euigeon?”_

 

_Jihoon looks at him curiously with his clear blue eyes, lips curling into a pout._

_“No,” he shakes his head. “That doesn’t sound right.”_

_Eugieon tilts his head to a side. “What do you mean Jihoonie? It’s my name.”_

_“No, no, no.” The younger boy frowns at him and begins to point at his face. “It doesn’t fit you. The name is bad. Bad!”_

_He removes his finger from his face, pouting. “But my mo—”_

_“Daniel!”_

_Euigeon looks at him in shock. Jihoon giggles at the ridiculous expression on his face; eyes bright and sparkling._

_“From now on, I’ll call you Daniel.” he says happily. “How about that?”_

_“…why Daniel?”_

_Jihoon gives him a smile; a wide, full smile that shows his gums and teeth._

_“I don’t really know either. But… when I call you Daniel,”_

_A pause._

_“It just feels right, you know?”_

 

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When Daniel moves forward to gather Jihoon into his arms, Guanlin is reminded of the older version of both once more.

_I’m sorry because it took such a long time._

 

Guanlin closes his eyes when the memories are coming slowly, embracing his worn soul in soft ripples. Their smiles that day were forever etched in his mind; just like their entwined hands.

_But even though it’s late, and even though it’s not enough—_

 

He smiles softly at the beautiful picture, kisses the top of each stone where their names engraved for eternity, then closes his eyes.

_This is my present for you._

 

“Hyung?” Guanlin opens his eyes to see Daniel looking up at him while holding Jihoon’s small hand. “Is something wrong?”

_I hope that you like it._

 

“It’s nothing.” Smiling, Guanlin shakes his head slowly. “Come on, let’s go home.”

_Aeternum vale, fraters_.

 

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_“—then I will make sure that we meet again in the next life or another,” he whispers softly to his ear. “Believe me when I say that I will chase you until the end of the world if it means that we’ll be together again.”_

_Jihoon smiles at him gently._

_“You promise?” Jihoon raises his little finger, still with a smile on his face, but noticeably bigger than before._

_Daniel links their fingers together, “I promise.”_

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aeternum vale; ends.

* * *

  

 When I’d accidentally told my cousin about how I planned the ending of this story, she’d frowned at me and told me this; “Why would you end it like that when you could’ve had a happy ending?” Then I told her that not all stories have a happy ending, and my story is one of them (the title explains it all). She’d looked at me funnily then, and said; “Then it’s not an end.”

 

Her words seemed familiar, and I knew that I’d heard or read them somewhere before. I thought it must be a famous quote or something (bc my cousin love to read quotes so much) but when I heard those words from her mouth, it really hit me. I don’t know, but it just felt…. different when someone told you personally, you know?

 

So long story short, I mulled over her words for days, like seriously, I was super stressed. As an angst enthusiast, I’d believed that not everything has a happy ending and I loved the concept too much to let it go. But then I thought about it again and again, and this epilogue was the result of my breakdown.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I still believe that not all stories have a happy ending. But I don’t think that the saying of _“Everyone has a happy ending, if you're not happy, then it’s not the end.”_ is wrong either. I simply put the two of them together and create my own version of an ending instead. If you read my other story besides this one, then you would understand what I mean.

 

Last, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me all this time. Especially those who have been there from the start, I can’t thank you enough. People come and by, but there’re some who stayed with me with every step I took. Please know, without your encouraging comments, I would have finished this story at all. So thank you, thank you so much.

 

I’m not sure if you like this ending or not, but I just want to say that… it’s okay? Everyone has their own preferences after all. I don't expect everyone to like my story, but I still want to thank you anyway :) I feel so sorry for putting this story for so long, but I’m glad I could finish it before I’d gone hiatus :v This is the end of aeternum vale everyone. See you later and have a nice day! ^^ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: Sorry for any (read: many) grammatical errors in this story! I wrote this with my soul half gone xd. I’ll try better to fix it next time.  
> PSS: For all of you who are waiting for “If you wished to be loved, love” then don’t worry too much, I’m working on the new chapter :)  
> PSSS: Don’t be shy to contact me personally~ You can dm me on twitter (with the same username lol I know I’m not creative) anytime you want hehe  
> PSSSS: It’s okay to comment in your mother’s language~ I understand English (obviously), Bahasa (my mother’s language), and lil bit of Japanese. But like I said, the other languages are fine~ Gotrans exists after all >3


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